Smoak Technologies
by Ficwriter93
Summary: Oliver Queen is working hard, doing everything he can to make sure he and his sister can live happy lives. When the CEO of his company decides to throw a Huge celebration and invite her employees Oliver reluctantly attends. What happens next could change his life, for the better or worse. Rated M Just to be safe, there will be language and violence but nothing too bad. Olicity
1. Try Something New

**A/N: I'm happy to finally be posting my first Arrow story! It's been a while in the making so finally having it out there for others to read is a big relief. Thanks to user Felicity Danvers for being my beta for this chapter, I appreciate the help! Ok here it is hope you enjoy!**

Smoak Technologies

"Wake up! Wake up, wake up wake up wake up!" Thea called as she pounded on Oliver's bedroom door. She paused and listened for the sounds of her brother rolling out of bed but none came, she continued her assault. "Oliver Queen get your sorry butt out of that bed right now and get dressed, You're gonna be late!" She paused again, put her ear to the door and was greeted with the sounds of rustling sheets and feet frantically hitting the floor, she placed a hand on the door frame and began tapping her finger on the wood. "Come on Ollie, you can't afford to be late, you know this," several moments passed with no response. Thea was getting frustrated, "Oliver are you gonna answer me?" Still, no reply came, "Oliver Jonas Qu-" she was cut off by the door swinging open and her brother pushing his way past her.

"Be a little louder could you?" Oliver asked sarcastically as he hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

Thea rolled her eyes and followed him, "You never sleep in, is everything ok?"

"I'm fine," Oliver replied as he prepared his toothbrush and shoved it into his mouth.

Thea leaned against the door frame and quirked an eyebrow, "Are you sure? You don't seem like you're in a very good mood. You didn't sleep well, did you? Did you have a bad dream or something?"

Now it was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes."I don't really have time to talk right now," he mumbled with a mouthful of toothpaste.

Thea waved a hand through the air, "Fine just hurry up," she ordered as she walked down the hall to the kitchen. A few minutes later Oliver emerged and quickly gathered his phone, keys and work badge. Thea opened the fridge and pulled out a green lunchbox, "Here ya go big brother," she smiled as she handed it to him, "I made your favorite."

Oliver grinned, "Thanks, Speedy, you're the best," he hugged her before rushing out the door.

* * *

Oliver pulled up to the plant's entrance and scanned his badge to open the automated gate, it took him several minutes to find a parking space. Once he did he ran for the door, weaved through a few hallways and finally threw open the double doors to the factory floor. He tried to look inconspicuous as he walked to his workstation. Smoak Technologies was more of an empire than a company, they'd dipped their toes into everything from construction to agriculture. They operated all over the country with factories in several states, the one that Oliver worked at was located in the Glades of Starling city and was home to the Medical Science Division. They manufactured and assembled several different pieces of medical equipment and components for hospitals, primary care offices and clinics.

"Well well well, look who decided to show his face," a familiar voice rang out.

"Nice to see you too Curtis," Oliver chuckled.

Curtis Holt was a long time friend to Oliver, the two had met back in college. Oliver had studied electrical engineering and Curtis had been working toward a career in computer science and later biomedical engineering. A mutual friend introduced them and over the course of their college careers, they formed a strong friendship. They stayed in touch after graduation and a few years later when Oliver got laid off from his job at the electric company Curtis encouraged him to apply for a job at Smoak Tech's Medical Science Division, where Curtis was a specialist at the time. While Oliver had initially doubted that he was qualified to work on such intricate equipment he needed the money to support himself and his sister, so he accepted. He had worked side by side with Curtis (now head of the department) ever since, adding to his knowledge of wiring, machinery and even some areas of basic medicine. In the process, he had become well know and respected amongst his fellow employees.

"It's not like you to come in late," Curtis observed.

"I know, sorry I just couldn't get to sleep last night, won't happen again."

"Hey don't sweat it, man, you know I'm not only your boss I'm also your friend. I like to think that makes me the cool boss, ya know?" Curtis began to talk faster, "The kind of boss that doesn't get so wound up over everything and can laugh and chill with their employees. Do you think I'm that kinda boss?

"I think you're a gr-"

"I hope I'm that kinda boss. I wonder what everyone else thinks of me. I'm not as close with everyone as I am with you."

"Curtis," Oliver interjected

Curtis snapped his fingers, "You know what I should do? I should hand out surveys! Then everyone can tell me exactly what they think of me. I'll know who thinks I'm great and who thinks I still have things to work on. I should go print those up right n-"

"Curtis!" Oliver interrupted, "Calm down, everyone thinks you're a great boss ok?" He laughed.

"You really mean that?"

Oliver placed a hand on Curtis's shoulder and grinned, "I really do."

"Well, then you, along with everyone else are gonna love me, even more, when I show you all the surprise I've got for you!"

"Surprise? What're you talking about?" Oliver inquired.

"I can't tell you just yet, it's a surprise duh, here follow me." Oliver did as he was told, as they walked Curtis tapped a button on his headset to access the intercom, "Hello can I have everyone's attention, please? Can I have everyone come to the front of the building? I have an announcement I need to make. All the other employees stopped what they were doing and slowly gathered at the open area in front of the offices.

"I see you've set TVs up all around, are they making us watch more of those boring safety videos?" Oliver asked hoping that wasn't the case.

"Nope just follow me, you'll see."

Oliver sighed in relief and followed Curtis up to the catwalk that overlooked the entire floor, they waited patiently for everyone else to find their way. Once they had Curtis placed his hands behind his back and smiled from ear to ear.

"Ok people, today I received word that corporate has dropped some very exciting information. This is big stuff guys," he paused and looked around, "Like really big…"

"Well, what is it, Curt?" Someone called out from the crowd.

"Oh you won't be hearing it from me," Curtis replied, "We've got a very special guest with us today, so if you'll all turn your attention to the monitors, I give you, Ms. Felicity Smoak."

Oliver quirked an eyebrow as he turned to face the nearest screen.

"Hello everyone, my name is Felicity Smoak, acting CEO of Smoak Technologies. I wanted to speak to you all today because I have some very exciting news that's going to affect all of us as a company."

A small smile crept across Oliver's face, he had of course seen the CEO of the company he worked for in the past. With her face plastered all over the media, it was nearly impossible not to recognize Felicity Smoak, but there was just something about having her right next to him that made this feel different. Even if it was only a pre-recorded video. He leaned over and nudged Curtis's shoulder, "She's pretty," he chuckled.

"Don't interrupt Oliver!" Curtis whispered firmly,"But yes, she is," he smirked.

Oliver turned his eyes back to the screen.

"As I'm sure most of you are already aware, there have been some rumors going around that we've had a breakthrough, something huge. I wanted to let you know that those rumors, are indeed true."

Oliver thought a moment, he had overheard some talk amongst other employees about something along those lines. He hadn't paid it too much attention though, Felicity's voice interrupted his thought.

"Smoak technologies has created something truly special, and it's thanks to each and every one of you that we were able to do that. So I wanted to thank you, and since I am a Smoak and everything we do has to be big and flashy, I wanted to do that personally. In a couple weeks, I'm going to be hosting an event at the Starling City Grand Hotel. It'll be more of a party really, a chance for me to spend some time with you and show my appreciation for all your hard work. Our main event will be the unveiling of our brand new product, trust me you really, really don't wanna miss that," she grinned revealing a set of pearly whites.

Before he knew it Oliver found himself smiling along with her. "Hmm, Felicity Smoak," he whispered to himself.

"So, consider this message your invitation," the video continued. "Bring a plus one if you'd like, all are welcome and all expenses will be paid, let's have some fun!" Her smile widened. Oliver chuckled, he found her charming and quirky.

The video ended and Curtis stepped back up to address everyone, "So, everybody, what'd we think?" The crowd applauded. "I know right? This is gonna be so much fun! Ok like Ms. Smoak said, we've still got a couple of weeks until the big day so let's keep up the great work! Dismissed, thank you." As the crowd dispersed Curtis turned to Oliver, "Dude this party is gonna be awesome! Are you as excited as I am?"

"I don't think I'm going Curtis," Oliver chuckled as he turned to walk away.

"Excuse me?" Curtis exclaimed as he followed, " This is only gonna be the biggest event of the year, and you don't want to go?"

"You know I'm not the party type Curtis, it's just not my scene."

"Oliver, I'm not trying to drag you into a nightclub with obscenely loud music and inappropriate dancing, this'll be a business party, it's gonna be classy. Besides you need to loosen up for a change, come on man do it for me. If nothing else we'll be each others wingman, I'll help you chat up a couple girls, you help me talk to a guy or two, it'll be fun! Then we can listen to Felicity's big announcement and be done with it, Sound like a plan?

"I don't know Curtis," Oliver replied hesitantly

"Alright, you've done it now." Curtis reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "I'm calling in the big guns."

* * *

"Ollie you are going to that party!"

From the second Oliver turned his key in the lock Thea had been in his face.

"Ah so it was you Curtis called, goodie," Oliver replied sarcastically. Thea Queen was a stubborn person in general, but even more so when it came to getting involved in her brother's life. Once she sunk her teeth into something she wouldn't let up until she got her way.

"Yes it was me, he told me that your company is throwing a huge party for everyone, but you don't want to go."

"Yeah and?" Oliver questioned

"What the hell?" Thea exclaimed as she followed her brother down the hallway to his bedroom. Oliver attempted to close the door behind him but Thea stopped it and forced her way in. "Ollie you never go out and have fun anymore, if you're not at work you're here locked up in this apartment, alone."

"I'm not alone," Oliver challenged as he sat down on the bed and removed his watch, "I have you."

Thea sat beside him and sighed, "and you always will big brother, but what I meant is that you're so isolated from the rest of the world. You don't really interact with people, you don't have a girlfriend, and the only real friends you do have are your sister and your boss.

"Hey, Curtis and I were friends before I worked for him," Oliver chuckled

"This isn't funny!" Thea was getting irritated, "You're missing the point."

"I don't think I'm missing anything," Oliver argued as he stood up and walked to his dresser to put away his tie and empty his pockets.

"But you are Ollie, you're sitting back and letting all this time just fly by, you're missing out on the world, on having a life!

"Hey!" Oliver retorted, he turned and gave Thea a stern look, "I do have a life, putting a roof over our heads and food on our table, making sure you have an education and working as hard as I can every day to keep all of it from crumbling down around us, that is my life!"

"Oh, so I'm the reason then? I'm the reason you've become such a hermit?"

Oliver sighed and looked down at the floor, "No Thea, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then? What? You know what, fine!" Thea stood and threw her hands in the air, "I give up, if you want to be alone for the rest your life then have it your way!" She stood up to leave, "I don't so I'm going out."

"Speedy wait!"

"Forget it."

"Speedy!" Oliver caught her by the arm, "I'm sorry, I'm just tired is all."

Thea scoffed "You always say that," she turned to leave again."

"Wait please!" Her brother pleaded, "I didn't mean to raise my voice, just come sit back down with me." Thea looked him in the eye, frustration still strewed across her face. "Please?" he asked once more.

Thea sighed and followed her brother back to the bed, they sat down and Oliver took a deep breath. "Ever since mom and dad died it's just been you and me. They left us everything they could in the will, but that was just enough to keep us afloat and put me through school. Once that money was gone we had no safety net, I had to grow up, I had to make sure we were gonna be ok.

Thea took a deep breath of her own, "I know that Ollie, and you've done an amazing job." She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you have no idea how proud and lucky I feel to have you as my big brother. You've always done everything you could to bring happiness and stability to my life, working yourself to death, helping me get into college, even taking me shopping and I know you hate shopping." The two chuckled together. "The point is you've done your job, you've given me a great life," she reached down and took his hand in her's, "Now I want to see you get a little more happiness out of yours."

Oliver smiled and gently squeezed her hand, "Thank you Speedy, believe it or not I understand where you're coming from." Thea responded with an inquisitive look. "I think about those kinds of things all the time, meeting new people, trying new things, having fun. It's just, when I had my job at the electric company I thought I had everything figured out. I thought we had reached a place where we were secure and could build a future."

Thea's expression went from curious to doleful, she knew what was coming next.

"When I lost that job it terrified me. Sure the skills I had weren't exactly lacking in demand, but I didn't know if I'd be able to find anything with the hours and pay that would allow me to work and still be able to take care of you.

"You didn't lose that job Ollie it was taken from you," Thea interrupted.

"I was scared regardless, that's why I was so grateful when Curtis offered me this job at Smoak tech. With the set schedule and great pay, it was exactly what we needed, but the work itself was way over my head. I was used to working on power lines and electrical towers, not machines that could breathe for someone or keep a heart beating."

"But you got through it didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Oliver replied, "But it took a lot of hard work. If I was going to stay valuable I had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. I was never entirely sure if I was really up to the task and that put me under a lot of stress."

"Oh, Ollie," Thea whispered.

Oliver turned his eyes down, "I guess I've just never been able to get rid of those feelings, that I might not be good enough and that I might let you down. So I work and work and work some more, because I don't know what I'd do if that ever happened."

Thea wrapped her arms around her brother and squeezed as tight as she could. "Oliver Jonas Queen, you couldn't let me down even if you tried," a Tear welled up in her eye. "You put way too much pressure on yourself."

"I know, it's one of my specialties." Oliver chuckled. They sat in silence and held each other for a few minutes before Oliver spoke up. "Will it make you happy if I go to that party?"

Thea sat up and smiled, "Yes, I'm glad you didn't think we were done talking about that."

"Then I'll go, only for you though," her brother replied jokingly.

"Oh of course." Thea laughed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Now I'm guessing that this is going to be a formal affair so go get your tux out and put it on. I want to help you get your look right for the big night.

"Oh no, you're gonna give me a makeover?" Oliver protested.

"If you don't want me to cry again then yes, I am."

"Fine fine, you don't have to guilt trip me." Oliver chuckled as he stood up and walked towards the closet.

Thea adjusted herself and sat cross-legged, she pulled her phone out and began dialing a number, "While you change I'll call Curtis and let him know he's got his wingman."

Oliver laughed, "I knew I should never have let you two become friends."

Thea shushed him and waved him to the bathroom as she lifted the phone to her ear.


	2. Struggle and Triumph

Chapter Two- Two days before the party

Felicity waited patiently in the back seat of her limo as her driver hurried around the back side of the vehicle to her door, after opening the door for her he quickly unfolded the wheel chair that She used to get around. At the age of seven Felicity and her father had been in a serious car accident, a drunk driver ran a red light and T-boned their car causing it to flip three times before coming to rest at the opposite end of the intersection. While Noah Smoak had miraculously emerged from the tragic ordeal practically unscathed, his little girl had not been so fortunate. Felicity suffered a major spinal chord injury and, despite numerous surgeries and experimental treatments, she had been paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair ever since.

Faced with these circumstances some may have allowed themselves to fall into depression and despair, but not Felicity Smoak. Ever an optimist, the young bright minded girl managed to pull a positive outcome out of all that negativity. While it was still first and foremost a tragedy, the fact that she could no longer use her legs allowed Felicity to finally cast aside a persona that had been forced onto her by her mother from the day she had learned to walk, the ballerina princess. Dancing, just thinking about it still made her shutter to this day. Once that blemish on the record of her life was over with she could focus on her real passion, technology. Felicity spent the next twenty or so years of her life learning everything she could about computers and other forms of tech. Taking apart anything she could get her hands on and putting it back together became a favorite past time, and she took every opportunity to expand her mind. Her knowledge of everything Tech was vast, so much so, that buy the time she turned eight-teen Felicity was already a highly valued consultant at her father's company Smoak Technologies.

On the day of his daughter's twenty eighth birthday Noah Smoak passed the title of CEO down to her and retired. That was two years ago, and although her time as head of the Smoak Tech empire had been short, Felicity quickly grew rather fond of being the boss. With a little guidance from friends, family and various board members she quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the world of business. She had no doubt elevated her company to greater heights than Noah himself could have ever imagined.

"Ms. Smoak we have arrived," her driver announced as he placed her chair next to the open car door.

"Thank you Eli," she replied cheerily as she braced her self against the car's frame and moved her self from one seat to the other.

"Of course ma'am," the older man answered as he wheeled her back from the car and closed the door.

"Oh Eli don't be such a gentleman," Felicity joked, "Call me by my name please."

"You got it Ms. Felicity," Eli replied

Felicity sighed, "You'll get it some day," she reached up and gave him a few light pats on the cheek, in turn he looked down and gave her a wink.

"Alright stop hitting on my woman Eli!" A booming voice called from the building behind them.

Eli turned Felicity and himself around to face the source, a tall muscular man walking towards them. "Oh terribly sorry !" Eli exclaimed, feigning fear. "I had no idea Ms. Felicity was already taken!" All three smiled and laughed together.

"I'll take it from here," John instructed. Eli handed the wheelchair off to him, wished them well, then returned to the limo and drove away.

"So I'm your woman now huh?" Felicity inquired with a grin.

"For as long as I'm your head of security, you might as well be," John replied as he wheeled her through a set of sliding glass doors.

"Ah my home away from home, my office away from the office," Felicity sighed happily.

The Smoaks had been frequent guests of the Starling City Grand Hotel ever since Noah had hosted Smoak Technologies's first company function there, he had instantly fallen in love with the place and over the years would rent out the ballroom once or twice a month for various occasions. As one would expect all three Smoaks had grown very close to Donald Kinning, the owner, and his family. Before her accident, a young Felicity could often be found running through the halls chasing after Donald's sons Eric and Paul while their parents were mingling and doing business downstairs.

"Hey it's Paul!" Felicity cried happily as a man in a suit walked towards them, arms folded behind his back.

"Hello Ms. Smoak, wonderful to see you again." The man gave a slight bow.

Felicity frowned, "Paul come down here," she gestured for him to come closer.

"I'm sorry?" He replied looking confused.

"You heard me!" She furrowed her eyebrow. Paul sighed and leaned down to her level. "Pauly how long have we known each Other?" Felicity asked.

Again Paul sighed, "A long time," he replied. A smile began to form in the corners of his mouth.

"Then why don't you ever call me by my name!" Felicity exclaimed with a playful punch to Paul's shoulder.

"I can't, not when you're in my hotel!" He laughed and pretended to be in pain. "I kind of run the place, and you're one of our highest profile guests, I can't walk around treating you like you're just one of my gal pals now can I?" He stood up straight and fixed his jacket and tie, "I've got to set a good example for my staff."

"Excuse me?" Felicity frowned, "One of your highest profile guests?"

"So sorry! I meant to say that you're are definitely our highest profile guest, ever!" Paul snickered.

John looked down and shook his head, "It never ends with you two."

"Quiet you!" Felicity pointed a finger at him and smiled, then turned back to Paul, "Now, is it ready? Can I see it? Please please please please tell me I can see it I've been waiting so long!"

Paul chuckled, "It's only been a few days, but yes, we've almost got everything ready."

"Great, lead the way!" Felicity exclaimed. Paul gestured for them to follow him, Diggle grabbed the wheel chair's handles and pushed forward.

After a good minute and a half of Felicity trying not to explode with anticipation, they reached a set of tall wooden doors, "Here we are!" Paul pushed them open revealing the massive ballroom on the other side.

"It's perfect!" Felicity squealed as her hands shot up to cover her mouth.

The Starling Grand's main ballroom was truly a sight to behold. The many lights and candles cast a golden hue over the entire space. The walls were adorned with intricate designs of all sorts and the cornice molding around the edges had been crafted with what could only be described as true craftsmanship. The tables placed around the room were decorated with beautiful red table cloths and floral arrangements. However, the crown jewel of the entire room, maybe even the entire hotel, had to be the centerpiece, a stunning crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling. It was a true work of art that never failed to capture the eyes of anyone who looked upon it.

In Felicity's case it was a piece that not only captured her eyes, but also her heart. The chandelier had been a gift to the hotel from her father as a thank you for everything they had done for his company and his family. Noah had the piece custom made and spared no expense in its creation. For that reason ever since her father had passed away just over a year ago, Felicity had seen the chandelier as a sort of piece of him. It was something she could remember him by.

As they reached the center of the room Felicity raised her hand signaling John to pause, "Hey dad," she spoke softly as she stared up at the gleaming crystals. One small tear welled up in her eye, but she quickly wiped it away and signaled John and Paul to proceed.

A loud voice suddenly rang throughout the room, "And now, ladies and gentlemen approaching the stage, she's our fearless leader, our North Star, our piece de resistance. You know her, you love her, Ms. Felicity Smoak!" Felicity, John and Paul all smiled and began to laugh.

"Curtis Holt you be quiet right now!" Felicity joked as they reached the stage at the far end of the room. Curtis ignored her and applauded. "Curtis!"

"Oh fine," Curtis stepped away from the podium and quickly jumped off the stage. "You know, I've always wanted to introduce you at one of these things," he smiled expectingly.

"Curtis, were good friends, and you're my go to guy for presentations and what not, but that's where I draw the line." Felicity joked.

"Oh burn!" John bellowed, Curtis gave him the stink eye.

"Well I must say I've been pleasantly surprised by Mr. Holt's technical prowess," Paul cut in. He's done a wonderful job of setting the stage for your big shindig. The lighting, music, the presentation, it's all very impressive," he gave Curtis a small smile.

"Oh it's nothing really," Curtis replied sheepishly.

Paul stole another glance before turning to face the others, "Well, I'll leave you to it then, if you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

"Thanks Pauly!" Felicity exclaimed as she reached out for another hug, Paul obliged before heading back to the lobby. Once he was out of ear-shot Felicity snapped her head back to Curtis, "When are you gonna man up and ask him out?"

Curtis pointed at himself, "Who, me?"

"Yes you dummy!" Felicity cried as she delivered a smack to Curtis's forearm. "Every time we come here I see you two dancing around each other, what are you waiting for!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Curtis replied nervously.

Felicity let out a sigh, "Look, is it because of me? Don't let it be ok? I've said it once, I'll say it again, I give you my blessing. You're a hottie, he's a hottie, go be hotties together, ok?

Curtis sighed in defeat, "I'll think about it."

"Don't think, just do! I've invited him to the party, he'll be a guest not an employee, it'll be the perfect time." She wheeled herself closer to Curtis, grabbed his hand and gently squeezed, "Just please promise me you'll try to talk to him, ok?"

Curtis smiled, "Have I ever told you that you're more of a best friend than a boss to me?"

Felicity smiled up at him, "I'd rather be your BFF than your boss any day. Now, show me what's happening here, run me through the entire thing." They spent the next hour rehearsing Felicity's presentation.


	3. Party Crasher

**A/N- thank you everyone for the continued support for this story! I'm really enjoying writing it and am excited to see where my brain takes it. Just a heads up, there are a few situations where italics are used for both emphasis and to signal a private thought in a characters head. I didn't want to use bold lettering for the emphasis so this is how I did it, if a single word or two words are in italics that signals emphasis. If an entire sentence or more is in italics that signals a private thought. This will apply to the entire story. I hope that doesn't get confusing! Also anytime you see the letters MSD it is an abbreviation for Smoak Tech's Medical Science Division. I didn't feel like typing that out every time I needed to refer to it. Thanks again to my beta user Felicity Danvers and to all of you for reading and reviewing!**

The engine in Curtis's sports car roared as he pulled up to the Starling Grand's entryway. Through the tinted windows, Oliver could see flashes from cameras and microphones waving through the air, "What is this the Grammys?" he asked as he took it all in.

"Felicity's making the announcement of the century tonight, what did you expect?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied, "Not this," he was getting nervous.

"You'll be fine," Curtis encouraged, "Just follow my lead."

"They're not gonna try to interview me, are they?"

"Nah!" Curtis Laughed, "they only want to talk to the higher-ups, not a low-level grub like you." Oliver frowned, "Kidding! Totally kidding!" Oliver continued staring him down, "Uh- hey look it's our turn!" Curtis tapped the gas pedal and the car inched forward, when they reached the valet he applied the break, put the car in park and he and Oliver opened their doors.

"Mr. Holt we've been expecting you," the valet walked around to the driver side and gave a slight bow, Curtis dropped the keys in his hand.

"Thanks, bro!" Curtis exclaimed and gave the young man an incredibly awkward look that Oliver had never seen before. It was almost as if he was holding in some bad gas. The two stared at each other briefly before Curtis joined Oliver and they walked towards the Hotel's doors.

As they walked Oliver leaned over to Curtis and asked, "Hey, what was that face you were making at the valet?"

"It's called the smolder," Curtis replied in a somewhat hushed tone, "Its supposed to make me seem like a total bad ass, but also incredibly mysterious and exciting at the same time."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"What? He was cute and I wanted to look cool! You think I pulled it off?

Oliver smiled, "Definitely!" He lied. As they entered the lobby Oliver and Curtis were greeted by a doorman.

"Good evening gentlemen, here for Ms. Smoak I presume?"

"We are," Curtis answered with a smile.

"Wonderful, if you'll make your way to the hallway at the other end of the lobby and head through the double doors you'll find the ballroom."

"Thank you, sir."

"Your welcome sir," the doorman replied and with a slight bow extended his arm ushering them on.

"Does everyone here act so, proper?" Oliver asked.

"This is a swanky place dude," Curtis replied, "We're talking pinky up when holding your cup swanky," he pretended to take a sip from a cup and extended his pinky.

"I'm not doing that," Oliver retorted.

"I'm just messing with ya," Curtis laughed and nudged Oliver's shoulder. "Just relax and be yourself, make some conversation, have a drink or two, maybe get yo flirt on with a certain superpower CEO businesswoman?" He added in a hushed tone. Oliver replied with an annoyed look, "Oh come on Oliver live a little! Hey, you were the one who told me that you think she's cute. Besides, Thea will kill me if I don't force you to have some fun tonight."

Oliver smiled, "We'll see." After weaving through another group of partygoers he and Curtis stepped into the ballroom and were greeted with the sweet sounds of live classical music accompanied by the faint roar of all the conversations going on around them. As he looked around Oliver managed to pick out a few faces he recognized as co-workers from the MSD plant, and a few more who were prominent figures in Smoak Tech's hierarchy.

"Oh look there're my friends Lisa and Jonathan, let's go say hi!" Curtis pointed to the bar at the far left of the room and gestured to Oliver.

* * *

After a couple of hours of small talk and a few drinks, Oliver was getting antsy. While Curtis and his friends all babbled away at a hundred miles an hour, Oliver was lost in thought preferring to spend his time leaning against the bar tapping his glass with his class ring. He had just about had his fill of this and decided to take the next available opportunity to let Curtis know he was catching a cab home.

"Sending out an SOS?"

Oliver turned to see a beautiful blonde woman in a wheelchair, rolling her way up to him, "I'm sorry?" She was wearing a sleek black V neck dress with spaghetti straps that ended just above her ankles. Her long flowing hair was perfectly draped over one shoulder and her big beautiful eyes were framed by a pair of thick framed eyeglasses. The entire look was just revealing enough to accentuate her obvious beauty, while still remaining conservative enough to match the class of the woman in question. Oliver had to catch his breath.

"Your ring, your glass," she pointed at Oliver's hands, "Sounds like your typing Morse code on that thing." The woman chuckled and smiled up at him.

It took Oliver a moment to realize who he was talking to, "Oh, the glass!" He reiterated and set his drink down on the bar, "I'm so sorry Ms. Smoak, I was lost in my own world there."

Felicity frowned, "Ok look, I know we just met and all but I don't let anyone call me Ms. Smoak, not my driver or my bodyguard, anyone. It's Felicity," her frown curved into a warm smile.

"Ok then," Oliver smiled back, "Felicity, I'm-"

"Oliver Queen."

Oliver was surprised, "You know who I am?"

"Of course, you're Mr. Queen."

"No, Mr. Queen was my father," Oliver chuckled.

"Yeah but he's dead," Felicity replied, then frowned after realizing what she had just said. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I said that!"

"That's ok," it surprised Oliver to hear those words come out of his mouth. Normally the death of his parents would be a touchy subject, as it would be for anyone. In this case, however, Oliver found himself quick to overlook the slip-up. Maybe it was because Felicity was his boss, or maybe it was simply because he found her to be a very pleasant person. Regardless he didn't want to let this conversation end because of just one extremely inappropriate statement, luckily Felicity seemed to feel the same way.

"No, it isn't, I'm sorry. See I don't really have a filter between my brain and my voice box, yeah it's caused me to stick my foot in my mouth on more than one occasion if ya know what I mean." She gave him a playful wink.

Oliver quirked an eyebrow, "Sorry I don't follow."

"That was a wheelchair joke, get it? I'm in a wheelchair, my legs don't work, I can't actually stick my foot in my, never mind." She blushed and looked to Oliver's right, "Curtis!" She called. Curtis swung his head around and smiled, he excused himself from his current conversation and hurried over,

"Hey! I see you two have met, that's great!" He bent down and gave Felicity a hug.

"It was, we were having a nice conversation until I decided to treat Oliver here to a full-on display of the ramblings and inappropriate outbursts that I like to call my train of thought."

"Oh don't worry, he gets that stuff from me all the time. I'm sure he's used to it by now." Felicity looked to Oliver for confirmation.

"It's true," he replied with a smile.

Felicity let out a sigh of relief, "Curtis, just so that Oliver doesn't think I'm a complete psycho stalker, you can confirm that we do extensive background checks on all of our prospects before hiring right? Including family history?"

Curtis turned to Oliver. "Uh, yeah," he replied looking confused.

"My dad," Oliver explained.

"Ooo yeah," Curtis winced. "Dead parents, never a good topic for discussion," he mumbled.

 _"No shit Sherlock."_ Felicity thought to herself. She looked down at the floor then back up at Oliver, blushing with embarrassment. "Could we maybe pretend the whole dead dad thing never came up and try again?"

Oliver chuckled, "That would be my preference."

"Great! Give me a sec," Felicity closed her eyes.

Oliver gave Curtis a confused look, Curtis shrugged in response.

"Ok 3-2-1-," Felicity opened her eyes, "Yes Mr. Queen I know who you are, you've made quite the name for yourself over at the MSD. Curtis has told me a lot about the work you two have been doing and your name has come across my desk several times for one good reason or another. Seems like I'm lucky to get to call you mine."

Curtis whipped his head in her direction, mouth gaping. Felicity looked up at him, smiling obliviously.

"I mean that Smoak Tech gets to call you ours!" She corrected frantically. "Of course I don't get to call you mine, I mean we just met, you're a complete stranger, why would I even want to call you that. Not that it would be a problem if I did, I mean look at you-you're gorgeous." Oliver choked on his drink, almost spitting it out. "Did I say that last part out loud?"

"Sure did." Curtis cringed

As Felicity buried her face in her hands Curtis looked over at Oliver, "Ho-ly-crap!" He mouthed.

Holy crap was right, Oliver was dumbfounded, he had no idea what was going on. Was this really happening? Was billionaire Tech tycoon Felicity Smoak actually flirting with him, or at least trying to? Maybe he was reading too much into this, or maybe he wasn't reading enough. As he stood there contemplating his next move Oliver realized something, he was excited. For the first time in a long time, Oliver Queen was truly excited about something.

By this time Felicity had composed herself and begun speaking again. Oliver couldn't really hear what she was saying, he was too overcome with emotions that he hadn't felt in so long. As he watched Felicity speak his nerves began to creep up on him, he felt anxious, but in a good way. " _Could this be it?"_ Oliver asked himself, Could these new feelings, and the beautifully quirky, bubbly blonde who had stirred them up be the change that Thea had talked about? The change she so desperately wanted for her brother? Oliver's heart lunged in his chest, he didn't want to let this opportunity pass him by like so many others had. He wanted to use this new found courage while he still had it and pursue this chance as far as that courage would allow. There was just one problem, That beautiful, quirky, bubbly blonde was his boss.

"Oliver, Oliver!" Curtis exclaimed

Oliver shook his head in response, "I'm terribly sorry, I just got light headed there."

"Uh oh, too much to drink maybe?" Curtis asked concerned.

"I don't think so, This is club soda," Oliver chuckled.

Felicity wheeled herself a little closer, reached out and touched his forearm, "Are you gonna be ok?"

" _Not if you keep your hand there,"_ Oliver thought to himself. Feeling lightheaded had been a lie to hide the fact that He was panicking inside, but if Felicity kept touching his arm like that, Oliver felt that he might actually pass out. "I'm fine, really," he inadvertently looked down at his arm and Felicity's hand resting there, he could almost feel her soft skin, his eyes were drawn to the bright red nails that adorned her fingertips. He could feel his heart rate increase, ever so slightly.

Felicity followed his gaze and realized what she was doing, she quickly pulled her hand away. "Well," She placed her hands in her lap and twiddled her thumbs, "That's good to hear," she wasn't sure but Felicity felt like she was blushing bright enough to match her nails at that moment. "Wouldn't want you passing out on me before my big speech now would I?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Oliver replied as he kicked himself for embarrassing such a beautiful creature.

Curtis sighed, he felt sorry for his friend. He knew all too well that Oliver Queen was a man of many talents, but playing it cool was definitely not one of them. "Speaking of your big moment," he turned to Felicity, "We should probably go get ready for that don't ya think?"

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously thanked Curtis for breaking the awkward silence, "You're right, it is about that time. Oliver I'll expect to see you right up front."

"I'll have my pom poms ready!" Oliver joked, but Felicity looked confused. "It was a joke, you know pom poms, cheerleaders, I'll be cheering you on, never mind," he scratched the back of his head. "Go on up there and change the world."

"Ok," Felicity grinned as she spun herself around. She and Curtis both gave Oliver a small wave before disappearing into the crowd.

Oliver took a deep breath and let it out, he turned around, found an empty barstool and took a seat.

"Another?" The bartender called from the other end of the bar and pointed in his direction. Oliver nodded and a few moments later his drink was on its way. When the bartender reached Oliver he sat the drink on the bar, leaned in and motioned for Oliver to come closer, "Hey man, if you wanna snag a girl like that, you're really, really gonna have to step up your game.

"You saw that huh?"

"Dude I could see that train wreck from twelve miles away," the young man chuckled and went back to work.

Oliver rolled his eyes and spun his stool around to face the festivities.

* * *

As he exited the restroom Oliver heard an announcement being made back in the ballroom.

"Thank you for coming everyone, without further Adieu I give you Ms. Felicity Megan Smoak."

"Crap," Oliver muttered as he hurried back to the party. everyone had already gathered in front of the stage and the lights had been cut, a video about Smoak Tech began playing on a large screen above the stage. When he reached the edge of the crowd Oliver scooted around a few people but couldn't get much further, there were at least a few hundred people attending tonight and the crowd was dense. "Come on!" Oliver sighed in frustration and gave up. " _Hopefully Felicity won't be too upset."_ As he watched the video Oliver became increasingly nervous, he was thinking about his earlier encounter with the aforementioned blonde beauty. Had Felicity's actions been nothing more than a genuine concern for the well being of one of her employees, or could it have been something more? This was something that was going to eat at him for the rest of the night.

Suddenly, without warning Oliver was jarred from his thoughts by someone violently shoving him aside, he fell to the ground taking a couple of the surrounding guests with him. He quickly apologized and tried to look up at the offender as they dashed past him, but because of the darkness, he couldn't make out much of anything. The faint light cast by the video did, however, allow him to see that the individual was wearing a ball cap. "Strange choice for a party," Oliver mumbled as he helped the people he had knocked down to their feet. A moment later the video ended and the lights were brought back up revealing Felicity sitting poised at center stage

Applause erupted and Felicity bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you, everyone," she began. "This is a day I have looked forward to for a very long time, because today I stand," she paused as the crowd chuckled, "On the shoulders of many giants. Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and of course my father, Noah Smoak." Oliver watched closely as Felicity spoke, she handled herself like a pro up on that stage, his fast-growing admiration for her grew even more. "Their work has always been about making the world a better place, and today we get to take another step towards that goal." Another round of applause erupted, everyone raised their hands and clapped and shouted. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Oliver saw a few of those hands shoot back down and someone yelled, "Excuse me!" Not far ahead of him. Maybe it was his violent interaction with the stranger just moments ago, but Oliver had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"As we all know Battery technology has been at a virtual standstill for decades," Felicity continued. "Batteries aren't lasting any longer or charging any faster than they did in the nineteen-seventies, tonight we aim to change that."

Out of instinct, Oliver began to make his way further into the crowd, as he did he noticed another commotion, further ahead than the first.

"Hey, buddy watch where you're going!" A man exclaimed.

Oliver stood up tall and over the sea of shoulders and heads he could barely make out a navy ball cap pushing its way towards the stage, "This can't be good."

Felicity pushed on, unaware of what was happening just ahead of her. "Tonight Smoak Technologies is incredibly proud to present, The Power Cell." An image of the product appeared on screen along with some text. "This is a one hundred percent recyclable battery capable of charging an electric car for thousands of miles. It can provide electricity to a home for years all on its own and right now, a single power cell is not only powering this entire presentation, but also this entire building!" Again the entire room began to applaud. "That's right! As a thank you for hosting us all these years Smoak Technologies is proud to donate one of our very first production models to The Starling Grand Hotel!"

Oliver hastened his movements, excusing himself and apologizing to people as he weaved through the crowd. The blue ball cap was still making its way towards Felicity and Oliver began to fear that she was in danger, the closer they got the more anxious he became but suddenly no more than ten feet away from the stage the mysterious figure came to a halt. Oliver froze in place, unsure of what to do next, he looked frantically from the man in the hat to Felicity and back. _"She's gotta have some sort of security somewhere right? Where the hell are they?"_

Oliver quickly searched the area behind Felicity and saw that there was one tall, muscular man standing at the back right corner of the stage. Unfortunately, Oliver had no way of warning him of the possible danger, his frustration grew when the bodyguard suddenly turned to his left and walked off stage.

 _"Where are you going_!" Oliver tried to think fast, he quickly searched the entire room hoping to find more guards but had no luck. He looked back to Felicity, she was still smiling and thanking the crowd. She seemed completely oblivious to the danger she might be in. Oliver began to doubt himself, was he overreacting? Was he panicking because of a legitimate threat to Felicity's life? Or was it because that in just the few minutes that they had conversed, he had become incredibly fond of her? Should he get involved, or was he just being foolish? His doubts were thrashed just moments later when a woman in the crowd let out a terrible scream.

"Gun, he's got a gun!" Within a fraction of second others began to yell and run for their lives. Oliver, still stricken with fear, remained in place. The room began to empty and as the crowd dispersed the gunman was left in the open, knowing he'd been exposed he pulled his pistol out of his jacket and pointed it at Felicity.

"Oh my god!" Felicity exclaimed, "it's you!"

"Yes Ms. Smoak it's me, it's been a while." The mystery man cackled

Felicity turned her wheelchair and tried to wheel herself off stage, "Stay away from me!" She cried but the gunman followed her with his arm, ready to fire at a moments notice. Oliver lost his mind, Felicity wouldn't make it in time, he was going to shoot her.

"Hey!" Oliver yelled and charged the man. The offender casually turned his head and sighed as if Oliver was nothing more than an inconvenience, he swung his arm around and prepared to fire. Luckily Oliver was a strong runner and was able to close the distance before the other man could pull the trigger. Without a second thought, Oliver speared the man in the gut and slammed him to the ground.

The Offender tried to raise his gun but Oliver pinned both his arms to the floor. "Get off me!"

"Shut up!" Oliver ordered as he continued to struggle with the man.

"Make me!" The gunman cried.

Despite Oliver's best efforts, the gunman managed to free the arm that wasn't holding the gun, he made a fist and drove it into the side of Oliver's head. Oliver recoiled from the blow and shook his head, his ears were ringing violently. The gunman took this opportunity to free his other arm and suddenly a loud bang rang throughout the room. Oliver shook his head again and quickly regained his senses, he opted not to give his opponent another chance to gain the upper hand. Oliver made a fist, lifted his arm and drove it back down as hard as he could striking the so-called assassin square in the jaw.

Needless to say, that was the end of it, the gunman was out cold. Oliver closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, once his senses returned he frantically searched the room then looked up at Felicity who was still cowering at the far end of the stage. As far as he could tell she hadn't been shot, a wave of relief washed over him.

A moment later Felicity opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Oliver kneeling over the unconscious body of the man who had tried to kill her. "Oliver? Oh my god Oliver!"

"Fe-Felicity." Oliver tried to respond but he was having trouble catching his breath, he planted his foot and braced himself.

"Oliver!"

He could see that Felicity was wheeling herself to the front edge of the stage, she was calling to him but he couldn't understand what she was saying. "Felici-ty," his breathing was becoming more labored, and his ears were still ringing from the blow to his head and the stray gunshot. Oliver looked down at the floor as his vision began to blur, "what's, happening to me?" He raised his head and prepared himself to stand, he pushed up as hard as he could and almost managed to get to his feet before falling back on one knee.

Struggling he looked up at Felicity, she was waving her arms and yelling at him. He still couldn't understand her, her words sounded muffled, but he soon realized that she was telling him not to move. Moments later the bodyguard Oliver had seen earlier ran up to Felicity, he tried to check on her but Felicity pushed him away and pointed at Oliver. The bodyguard quickly jumped off stage and ran to Oliver's side, just as he was about to lose his balance Oliver felt a set of strong arms wrap around him and keep him from falling. He brought his hand up to his face and could see that it was covered in blood, but he didn't know who it belonged to. As his vision began to go black he made one final attempt to respond to Felicity before losing consciousness.

 **A/N- Hope you liked it! One last thing, I'm hoping the Smolder reference will land on at least one other person. I recently watched the new Jumanji remake and loved it. When I was writing that interaction between Curtis and the valet it hit me and I just had to throw it in there. Curtis definitely can't pull it off like the rock can though! Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Troubled Past

**A/N- Finally posting this chapter. Im sorry it took so long but I had to fight off a fair amount of writers block. Thankfully once I did everything came to me and just kept coming. As a result this holds the new record for the longest chapter I've ever written! Thanks again to my readers and my beta. I hope the long wait is worth it!**

A steady rhythmic beeping sound roused Oliver from his sleep and a light of some sort cast hues of red and orange onto the insides of his eyelids. He let out a small moan, he didn't want to open his eyes, the darkness was too comfortable. Despite his efforts to close his eyes tighter and fall back asleep Oliver was awake, he hesitantly opened his eyes and waited for his vision to come around. A few moments later it did but there was still a fair amount of sleep in his eyes, everything was blurry at first. He looked for the source of the sound that had so rudely interrupted his slumber, he saw a black screen to his left and a green line going up and down as each tone sounded. He looked down at his left arm and saw a needle sticking out of his wrist. His eyes groggily followed the tube that extended from the needle up to a bag of fluid. Still, it hadn't dawned on him where he was.

"Where am I?" He thought he asked out loud but got no response, he tried again. "Where am I?"

Thea shot a glance in her brother's direction, he was awake. "Ollie!" She cried as she jumped up from her seat and ran to his side. "You're awake, thank God, oh Ollie thank God!"

"Th-Thea?"

"Yes, big brother I'm here!" Thea responded as tears began to well up in her eyes. She kneeled at Oliver's bedside and took hold of his hand.

"What happened?" Oliver asked, his voice lower and more raspy than normal.

"I sent you to your death that's what!" Thea brought his hand up and pressed it to her lips, "Ollie I'm so sorry!"

Oliver looked into her eyes and he could see the heartbreak, "Speedy, you didn't do anything," he slowly lifted his free arm and wiped a tear from Thea's cheeks. "My arm feels heavy, my everything feels heavy." Oliver put his hand up to his face and briefly examined it before letting it fall to his chest.

"I'm not surprised," Thea chuckled, they've got you so doped up right now. I don't see how your even awake," she chuckled again still clutching Oliver's hand to her face.

Oliver looked at her confused, "Who's, they?" He asked between heavy breaths.

Thea's face went from amused to concerned, "The doctors Ollie, you're at Starling General.

"Starling General, the hospital?" Realizing where he was Oliver tried to remember how he had gotten there, the events of last night slowly started coming back. Suddenly he was struck with panic, "Felicity!" He tried to sit up in his bed, "Is she ok?"

Thea placed a hand on her brother's chest and gently pushed him back down, she smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, "She's fine Ollie, not a scratch on her thanks to you." The tenseness in Oliver's chest faded and he settled back into bed.

"That's good," he sighed.

Thea retrieved her chair and placed it where she had been kneeling, "She's really impressed me ya know? That boss of yours, coming in to visit you as much as she has. Most CEOs wouldn't do that for their employees.

Oliver's confused look returned, "How much has she been here?"

"A few times, she even sat with me the entire time you were in surgery," Thea leaned back, ran her fingers through her own hair and yawned.

"All that, in one night?"

"Ollie," Thea sat back up and leaned in, "It wasn't all in one night, you've been here for three days."

"Three days?" Oliver asked quietly.

"Mhmm," Thea replied as she failed to fight back another yawn. "The party was Friday night, remember? Then that bastard did what he did, Felicity and her bodyguard brought you straight here."

"Oliver scratched at his beard trying to find the words he wanted but struggled, apparently he was as drugged up as Thea had claimed. "No ambulance?" He finally managed to get out.

"Apparently you were losing a lot of blood, they weren't sure if the paramedics would make it in time. Evidently, John, Felicity's head of Security, the guy who helped you out, is an ex-army officer. He was a field medic so I guess he did some of that DIY surgery stuff you see on TV and got you stable enough to get you here. You went straight from the back seat of the limo to the O.R. The surgery was long but from what the doctors told me it went well. You're in recovery know so they can manage your pain and keep an eye on you, so here we are. It's Monday evening."

"Although some of what had happened was still foggy Oliver slowly came to realize what had brought him here, "The blood on my hand, it was mine, I got shot."

Thea took hold of his hand again and squeezed gently, "Yeah big brother, you did."

"But Felicity, Felicity didn't?"

"No Ollie," Thea reminded him smiling, "You saved her."

"He sure did," a voice came from the doorway, "Knock knock, can I come in?" Felicity asked as she lightly tapped on the wooden door.

"Hey, come on in, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." Thea smiled and ushered the other woman in, "He's even conscious this time," she joked.

"Hey, you," Felicity spoke softly as She glided into the room, John behind her pushing her chair.

Despite the heaviness of his body, Oliver Lifted his head and tried to prop himself up on his elbows. Thea placed a hand behind his head for extra support.

"No no you keep comfy," Felicity ordered softly, "I'll come to you."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Oliver yawned, normally he wouldn't be so quick to obey orders but he was too exhausted right then to make an argument of any sort. He obliged and laid himself back down.

Felicity looked up at John and signaled that she could take it from here, John released the wheel chair's handles and took a few steps back to stand by the door. "How's he doing?" She asked and looked over at Thea.

"See for yourself, this is as aware as he's been since the surgery," Thea replied smiling.

Felicity rolled herself up to the bed opposite Thea and looked Oliver straight in the eyes, "How are you feeling?" She asked, sympathy strewed across her face.

"Like-like I got shot," Oliver answered slowly.

Felicity quirked an eyebrow, "you have past experience to draw from?"

"My-" he yawned, "My parents."

Thea brought a hand up to her mouth, it was clear to Felicity that Oliver's words had shocked her. Oliver began to doze off but after a few moments Thea took her hand from her mouth and placed it on Oliver's shoulder, "Ollie?" He opened his eyes but it was clear he was fighting to stay awake. "Ollie do you, want me to tell her?" A small smile formed in the corners of her brother's mouth and he nodded before closing his eyes and giving into exhaustion.

Felicity looked at Thea dumbfounded, "Tell me what?" She tried but felt she wouldn't be able to prepare herself for what she was about to hear.

Thea looked at her with a sad smile before taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "God, where do I start? When I was ten, Oliver was twenty and mom and dad were still, ya know," Felicity nodded, she understood. "We used to live in the Glades. That was back when it was still the bad part of town, before your family and the Palmers moved in and cleaned it up. Well, we lived in the bad part, of the bad part of town. Low income and crime were commonplace. It wasn't a safe place to call home, but it was all mom and dad could afford, and they did their damnedest to make the best of it."

"Oh," was all Felicity could muster.

"There was this homeless guy who lived under an overpass a few blocks away from our house, he'd come around every once and a while begging for money. Mom and dad were always generous people, they couldn't give him much but they'd throw him their spare change and some food, maybe a blanket, whatever they could part with.

Felicity couldn't help but smile a little, the queens sounded like wonderful people.

Some of our neighbors were part of a local gang. They liked to call a couple of their buddies over and use the Homeless guy as a plaything, beating him up and waving their guns at him whenever he was brave enough to get too close. Dad always called the police, but they couldn't always make it with so much going on. One day the gang was beating up on the poor guy and dad got pissed. He called the cops like always but they told him that there weren't any officers available at the time, that just pissed him off even more." Thea let out another sigh, "So, despite mom begging him not to, dad went to the closet, pulled out his old shotgun and stormed out there.

"Oh no," Felicity whispered.

"Surprisingly dad, brave SOB that he was, managed to chase them back inside, I guess an old man with a big gun was something that they weren't prepared for."

Felicity braced herself for a but, sure enough, it came.

"But later that night, three of them broke into the house, I guess to get their revenge," Thea continued.

Now it was Felicity's hands coming up to cover her mouth.

Thea looked at her brother who by now was sleeping peacefully, "Ollie was the first one to hear anything, his room was closest to the window they smashed. He got to play some baseball for the neighborhood before that program got canceled, so he grabbed his old bat and went downstairs to check on everything." Thea chuckled as she wiped a tear from her eye, "He was always too brave for his own good, always wanted to protect us."

"Oh, Oliver." Felicity whispered and rested her hand on top of his, "Do I dare ask what happened next?"

"Ollie managed to get the jump on one guy in the kitchen, bashed him over the head, they'd split up to search the house. As soon as they heard their buddy go down, the other two came running. Ollie managed to hide long enough to swing at another one's knees and knock him down too, but the third one fired off a couple rounds."

"No!" Felicity cried in her head.

"By this time the rest of us were awake, I stayed in my room and hid under my bed. I was too scared to move," Thea's tears began to run down her cheek.

"God who could blame you," Felicity replied as tears of her own began to obscure her vision.

"But mom-mom and dad, they went down there." Thea continued through her tears, "Dad with his shotgun and mom huddled behind him. Dad flipped on the hall light and saw the guy in the living room, standing over Ollie. I heard dad yell from my room, then I heard the shotgun blast. A few seconds later I heard more gunshots and then, nothing.

Felicity wheeled herself around the bed to Thea's chair and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Thea you don't have to keep going, it's ok."

"No, it's ok." Thea wiped another tear from her eye, "He wants you to know." She took another deep breath, Felicity reached out for Thea's hand and she obliged. "I was under my bed for what felt like forever, no sound, no yelling, no footsteps, no sirens. I thought I was all alone, I was terrified that everyone was-"

Felicity squeezed Thea's hand and shook her head, "Don't say it."

Thea pushed on, "after waiting for what felt like a lifetime someone pushed my door open, thank god it was Ollie. He found me under the bed and coaxed me out, he picked me up and held me tight. I could see out of the corner of my eye that there was blood running down his arm, a lot of it. He told me to close my eyes as tight as I could and not to open them until he told me to, so I did. Next thing I knew we were outside sitting on the curb.

Felicity stroked Thea's Hand with her thumb.

Ollie wouldn't tell me exactly what had happened at first, I guess he didn't want to burden me with it, but he eventually decided that I had a right to know. He told me everything. He said dad shot the last guy, but before the guy died he managed to turn around and empty his clip, killing both of our parents.

"God Thea." More tears made their way down to Felicity's cheeks, slightly smearing what little makeup she actually wore.

Thea wiped away a few more tears, took in a long, slow breath, and straightened herself in her seat, "I found out where the blood on his arm came from too." Thea reached over and pushed up the sleeve of Oliver's gown, revealing his left shoulder

Looking closer Felicity could see a scar starting at Oliver's shoulder and ending just above His armpit. "He was lucky, that bullet could have messed him up really bad. Thankfully it was a through and through, didn't hit any bone."

Felicity looked at Oliver, then at Thea, then back to Oliver. "Can I ask something?"

"Mhmm" Thea replied.

"Where did you go?

"Since he was old enough, Oliver got himself declared my legal guardian. He used all the money he had saved up from working and what mom and dad left us in the will to get us a crappy little apartment and put himself through school. From there he got himself a job at the electric company, eventually got laid off, and that's where you come in, well you and Curtis." Thea looked at Felicity and smiled warmly.

Felicity was speechless, all she could do was look back and forth from Oliver to Thea and try to hold back her tears

"Oh come on now," Thea reached over and wiped a tear from Felicity's cheek, "Don't cry for us, things are better now, we have a good life."

Felicity smiled, "It's incredible how strong you both are, to go through all that and still come out the other side."

"You were a big part of that."

"Oh stop," Felicity scoffed.

"No really!" Thea chuckled in response, "If you hadn't given Ollie that job who knows where we'd be. Whether you knew it or not, you saved us."

Felicity turned her gaze back to Oliver, she watched as his chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. "I guess we're even now," she spoke softly.

"Ya know, Ollie really doesn't like to talk about what happened to mom and dad, he won't even let me tell anyone about it. Outside of the police, the courts and Curtis only a few people know."

Felicity responded with a curious face.

"But he wanted me to tell you, he wanted you to hear our story." Thea gently squeezed Felicity's hand and drew in a deep breath, "He must really like you."

Felicity didn't know how to respond, she was feeling so many emotions at that moment. Thea's statement had surprised her. On one hand, she felt honored that Oliver had chosen her to be one of the few people that he would open up to. Yet, on the other hand, the young girl's words had made Felicity incredibly nervous. If what his sister said was true, maybe Oliver had felt that same instant connection that Felicity had felt from the moment he had turned from the bar to face her Friday night. She had been immediately drawn to the refined manner in which he carried himself, despite his obvious nervousness.

Felicity had also noticed that Oliver hadn't coddled her when it came to her disability. Most people became apprehensive when seeing the wheelchair for the first time. They would try to help her with things or watch their words to avoid anything that could be considered even remotely offensive. It made Felicity feel more like a helpless child than the strong independent woman that she actually was. Oliver, however, hadn't done any of that. One quick glance down at the chair and that was it, after that, to him it hadn't existed. He made Felicity feel like a completely normal person like she didn't have a disability. If nothing else, she admired him greatly just for that. Plus, the fact that he was a real looker hadn't hurt things.

The two women sat in silence. Felicity fighting a war against her brain, and Thea fighting a war against exhaustion. Both were staring at Oliver, whether he knew it or not, at that moment, he was at the center of both of their worlds.

* * *

Oliver yawned and opened his eyes, as he stretched he could tell that the side effects of his medication had backed off. His body didn't feel heavy, and his mind felt much sharper than it had the last time that he'd graced the land of the living with his presence. He turned his head to the left and noticed Felicity sitting on a couch with Thea's head resting in her lap, they were both asleep.

"I brought that in for them, from down the hall," Someone interrupted as they stepped into the room.

Oliver lifted his head, it was the security guard from the party, or John as Thea had said. John took his place beside the door and folded his hands in front of himself, Oliver pushed a button on his bed remote and groaned as he was moved into a seated position, "Your John right? John-"

"Diggle."

Oliver adjusted himself further and winced as a searing pain shot through him. "You're Felicity's head of security."

"I am."

Oliver looked him over and smiled, "I'm told that you saved my life."

"I just got you here in one piece, or close enough to it. The doctors are the ones who saved you."

"Regardless, I'd like to shake your hand and say thank you, if that's ok."

John smiled, "I should be thanking you," He replied as he walked over to Oliver's bedside. "You kept her from getting shot," he nodded towards Felicity and extended his hand.

Oliver took John's hand and shook it, but his smile quickly became a frown and he furrowed his eyebrows. Oliver tightened his grip on John's hand and pulled, forcing John down to eye level. He looked the other man straight in the eyes, anger written all over his face, "I saw you, at the party." Oliver released John's hand and grabbed hold of his collar instead. "You were supposed to protect her!" John grabbed Oliver's wrist and returned his fiery stare. "I saw you walk off stage," Oliver continued. "You left her up there, all alone!" John didn't say a word, but he looked over at Felicity and Thea, who were still asleep on the couch. Oliver followed his gaze, not wanting to wake them he released Diggle and lowered his voice, "What could have been so important?"

John sighed, he couldn't blame Oliver for being angry, he was angry too. Angry at the situation, and at himself for not being able to stop it. He stood up straight, quickly fixed his tie and looked back down at Oliver. "The son of a bitch had help," he explained. "There was another guy, he tried to get into the party but he wasn't recognized as a Smoak Tech employee. He got violent when my guy at the door stopped him, so I had to go handle it. I'm guessing he was a distraction."

"Why didn't you have more guards posted nearby?" Oliver asked, a perplexed look on his face.

"Her orders," John replied looking back to Felicity. "She always wants a minimalistic security detail, despite my begging and pleading. She was afraid too many guards would ruin the 'swingin hoppin totally rad party atmosphere!' " John chuckled, "Her words, not mine."

Oliver looked over to Felicity and sighed, "You should take her home, she's Been through a lot."

"Tried," John replied. "She refused to leave until you woke up, she's determined to be here for you, and your sister. Probably because of the whole saving her life thing." John smiled.

Oliver chuckled and continued to watch the two women sleep, it made him happy that They'd seemed to have found a connection with each-other. He had always wanted a strong female role model for his little sister ever since their parents had died.

"Oliver I want to make you a promise," John spoke up. "The same promise I made to Felicity, I'm gonna do everything I can to figure out who these SOBs are and I'm gonna stop them. I'm not gonna let them hurt either of you ever again."

"I think you'd better leave that to us, Mr. Diggle."

John and Oliver both turned to see two men step into the room. One man was bald with a scruffy beard, the other with a full head of thick grey hair, a goatee and an eyepatch over his right eye.

"Great, you two again," John sighed. "Felicity and I have already told you everything we know, twice."

"We're well aware," The bald man replied. "We're here because we haven't yet had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Queen. Ya know, the guy who ended up doing your job for you?" He flashed a sarcastic smile at John who promptly returned it. Both men made their way to Oliver's bedside, John reluctantly stepped aside and resumed his post by the door. Once Diggle stepped away the bald man turned to Oliver and smiled. "Mr. Queen, I'm detective Quentin Lance, this is my partner detective Slade Wilson." Lance extended his hand and Oliver obliged.

"Looks like you're a real hero kid," Wilson stated and shook Oliver's hand.

"I couldn't just stand there and let her get shot, could I?"

"Certainly not," Detective Lance replied. "Still most people wouldn't have the courage to take action and throw themselves in harm's way for another person like you did, let alone someone they'd just met. You're a brave man Mr. Queen."

"Thank you, detective, but while I do appreciate it, I'm guessing you gentlemen didn't come here to sing my praises. What can I do for you?"

"Straight to business," detective Wilson chuckled and looked to his partner, " I like this kid."

Detective Lance reached into his jacket and produced a Manila folder containing several sheets of paper, he thumbed through a few of them then pulled one out and handed it to Oliver. "You'll recognize this piece of work as the man who attacked yourself and Ms. Smoak Friday night."

Oliver took the photo and examined it thoroughly, it was a mug shot and it was indeed the gunman from the party. He looked at the man's face and then down at the nameplate he was holding, "Lonnie Machin."

"That's correct," Detective Lance confirmed.

Detective Wilson stepped closer and tapped the photo with his finger, "This little twerp's been giving us the slip for months."

Oliver looked the two officers over with a confused face, "You two seem like very capable lawmen, how does a young small time criminal outsmart the both of you?"

"I can answer that." Felicity yawned and stretched her arms to the ceiling. All four men turned and looked at her. "Well don't just stand there," she looked at John and gestured to him with her finger."

John hurried over, moved the wheelchair closer and gently lifted Thea's head allowing Felicity to slide from the couch into her chair. John grabbed a pillow and laid Thea's head back down, taking care not to wake her. Felicity fixed her skirt and she and John joined the detectives at Oliver's bedside. "Quentin, how lovely to see you, _again_. How's my favorite District Attorney?" Felicity chirped.

Quentin sighed "Laurel's fine thanks for asking, _again_."

"Oh come now Quinten, just because we've seen each other like twenty times in just the past few days, and I've asked you that question every single time, doesn't mean you've gotta get sarcastic with me," Felicity chuckled.

Oliver quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

Felicity and the detective's daughter Laurel Lance had known each other for many years. The two had met back in middle school and had instantly become best friends, or BFFLs as they liked to say. That was a time in her life where Felicity hadn't yet learned to fully control the random babbles and rants that her mind concocted, or the speed at which her brain forced them out of her mouth. That was something Quentin would experience first hand when Laurel brought her new friend over to the house for the very first time. Quinten spent a full three hours sitting across from the girls as Felicity went on and on about a verity of topics, none of which interested him in the slightest. As hard as Quentin tried, the intricacies of heatsinks, power supplies and motherboards were things he just couldn't comprehend. Plus someone who could talk that much and that fast without stopping had to have at least a few screws loose.

Unfortunately, for the detective, the girls quickly caught on to just how awkward and bewildered Felicity's rants made him feel and joined forces. Ever since they had done everything they could to throw Lance and the young motor mouth into any and every awkward conversation they could come up with. It became a running joke between them, a tradition they carried on to this day. Even with Felicity now the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation and Laurel an accomplished lawyer turned district attorney, when it came to each other they were still the same young mischievous girls they had been when they met.

Felicity turned her head to Lance's partner and a look of disgust washed over her face, "Detective Wilson," she growled, "So glad you could make it."

"Trust me, sweetheart I don't wanna be here any more than you want me to be here," Slade replied sarcastically."

Oliver raised an eyebrow again, he could feel the animosity between them. It was thick enough to cut with a knife. "I take it you two have a history?" He finally spoke up.

"I may have accidentally wrongly accused Ms. Smoak of hacking into government satellites and attempting to steal classified information, once or twice," Slade casually replied and shrugged.

"Three times!" Felicity interjected. She turned to Oliver to defend herself, "It wasn't me, obviously!"

"Of course not," Oliver replied with an amused face.

Felicity gave him a blank stare, "Some low life cyber terrorist decided he was going to steal the world's secrets, and just because I happen to be a big deal when it comes to computers, Jolly Roger over here decided that it was me!" She pointed to Slade.

"Hey just because some of us aren't fortunate enough to have both our eyes doesn't mean you have to be rude about it," Slade retorted and adjusted his eyepatch. "Besides that wasn't the only reason I thought it was you!" He looked at Oliver and pointed back at Felicity, "All of the hacks were originating from inside of her building!"

Oliver turned his gaze back to Felicity, "Explain," he chuckled and gestured for her to continue. Oliver tried and failed to hold back a smile, although he knew he shouldn't, he found the two's back and forth hostile banter somewhat amusing. Or maybe his meds had kicked back in, he couldn't tell. His eyes became droopy and he almost nodded off, but he shook himself awake and focused on Felicity.

"They weren't actually coming from Smoak Tech, the guy was rerouting his I.P. address and bouncing his signals off of us. I even went as far as to prove that to Detective Black Beard and offer to help him track the guy down!"

"Ah, but he wasn't just some guy was he Ms. Smoak?" Slade retorted.

Felicity looked from Oliver to Slade then back to Oliver who waited patiently for an explanation. Felicity sighed, "Back in college, at MIT, I may have been part of a teeny weeny harmless insignificant little hactivist group," she cringed

"Excuse me? Hacktivists?" Oliver was confused.

"How do I explain this? We were a group of like-minded individuals who felt that there was an abundance of corruption and injustice going on around us and wanted to fight back, we did that with computers. More specifically we used technology to expose things like government fraud, infringement of personal rights, stuff like that. It wasn't that big of a deal though I mean it's not like we really did anything bad!" Felicity laughed nervously.

"Ms. Smoak," detective Lance challenged.

Felicity sighed, "Ok so I may have created a super virus capable of giving us complete access to any infected system so what? It's not like I used it or anything, I'm not a Cyber terrorist!"

"Then explain how traces of your virus's code were found all throughout your system!" Slade interjected.

Felicity turned to Oliver and sighed, "Ok so the guy who hacked the satellites was a member of the hactivist group too. That doesn't mean I was working with him," she shot Slade another angry look, "Why would I infect my own system with a virus that I created?"

"Ok, can we get back to the matter at hand please?" Lance pleaded. "Ms. Smoak, how do you know Lonnie Machin, and why do you think he's so hard to track down?"

Felicity sighed, "Happy to," she shot Slade one more angry look before turning back to Oliver and continuing. "Lonnie used to work for Smoak Tech."

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"When I took over as CEO I wanted to hit the ground running, make my mark. So I started an internship program targeting bright young minds who were like me when I started out, technically inclined."

"Big nerds!" Slade interrupted and laughed

"Yeah, not really taking outside input right now!" Felicity pointed back at Slade and tried to keep her composure," she kept looking straight ahead at Oliver. "I just wanted to give smart young kids a chance to make it big. Lonnie was the first student to receive a spot in the program. He was going to MIT, top of his class, and well versed in the ways of Dr. Who, basically a male version of me. He seemed like the perfect candidate. For the first few months, it was great, he got settled in over at pharmaceuticals and was on the fast track to earning himself a permanent spot on the roster."

"How does any of this relate to the case?" Lance questioned.

"Be patient you chatterbox," Felicity joked, "I was getting to that. Rumors started going around that he was drinking, a lot. Some of his coworkers started to suspect he was using drugs too."

"What made them suspect that?" Oliver questioned.

"Oh you know the usual, hazy eyes, the smell of his clothes," Felicity lowered her head and muffled her voice. "His boss catching him secretly cooking up vertigo in the basement you know that sorta thing. Turned out he'd been dealing in secret, using our resources to supply his little side project" Oliver's eyes widened. "Yeah, not the best way to start out my first year as the boss huh?" She looked at him with embarrassment on her face.

"It's really not," Slade spoke up

Felicity growled and ignored him, "Needless to say he was terminated. I had John handle it personally. He told me Lonnie was making some pretty bold threats when he was turned over to the police, apparently he even threatened to come back with The Count's army and destroy everything I'd built. I never thought he would actually follow through with that threat."

Oliver looked around the detectives at John who was staring at Felicity, his muscles tensed at the mention of Machin's name and he clenched his fist. "The Count? Who's that?" Oliver questioned.

"You've never heard of The Count?" Felicity put her hands over her heart, "Oh honey you really don't get out much do you? Poor thing."

"The Count is a drug dealer," Lance explained. "He's the head of one of the largest criminal empires this city's ever seen. His flagship product is called vertigo. It's an incredibly powerful hallucinogen but in high doses it's deadly. We believe Mr. Machin had a fascination with The Count and wanted to join his ranks. That's why he was trying to cook up his own batches of vertigo in the Smoak Technologies basement. He was trying to impress the bastard. From what we saw Friday night it appears he may have succeeded."

"But if John turned him over to the SCPD then how did he get into the party? Shouldn't he be in prison?" Oliver questioned.

"He escaped custody, imagine that!" Felicity interrupted sarcastically. "I'm sure it was your fault somehow," she glanced back at Slade.

"His transport was attacked," detective Lance explained. They were professionals, probably in The Counts employ. Machin's been off the grid ever since, until now that is."

"Well kid the chickens have come home to roost," Slade belted out, looking at Felicity. "Your demons have come for you so now we've gotta pull your butt outta the fire."

"Ok, you know what I've had it up to here with you!" Felicity spun her chair around. "You wrongly accuse me of a crime _three_ , count em _three_ times, yet you still have the nerve to keep accusing me of somehow being involved in all this! Excuse me? I'm one of the victims here ok! Why would I try to get myself shot huh? Why in the hell would I put a hit out on myself? Riddle me that you arrogant manchild!

"A manchild with a badge," Slade mocked.

Felicity tightened her grip on her chairs wheels and began to push them forward towards Slade.

"Alright alright, that's enough!" Detective Lance interrupted. It's obvious this little pow- wow isn't going to produce any valuable information so I think we'll take our leave." Lance turned to Oliver and tried to ignore the fiery stare he was getting from Felicity. "Mr. Queen we'll try to talk to you at a more appropriate time when there are fewer-" he looked at Felicity, "Distractions. We're going to be interrogating Mr. Machin again soon, we'll get back to you after that. Both men reached out and shook Oliver's hand again before turning to take their leave.

As they left Felicity stuck her tongue out at Slade, then turned back to Oliver, "Phew, get a load of those guys am I right?" She chuckled and pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead. "I'm definitely calling Laurel and telling her to make her dad pay for putting me through that."

Oliver smiled and made a mental note to never make Felicity angry.

"Now," Felicity continued, "On to more important matters, how are you feeling?" She wheeled back to Oliver and rested her hand on top of his.

Oliver's heart skipped a beat, he tried to resist the urge to look down, he didn't want to embarrass Felicity and make her think twice about her actions. Instead, he just stared into her big beautiful blue eyes and tried to find his words, but after a few moments, he accidentally shot a glance down. This time he could actually feel Felicity's skin, and it was soft. He wanted to intertwine his fingers with hers and feel her grip tighten around his, but he was too nervous to move. Oliver suddenly realized that he was staring, he quickly looked up and saw that Felicity had followed his gaze, but this time she hadn't pulled away. Instead, she looked up smiling and locked eyes with him.

"I'm feeling much better," Oliver replied softly. He had wanted to say more, a lot more, but decided not to push his luck.

Felicity's smile widened revealing her pearly whites underneath.

On the couch, Thea slowly opened one eye. She had been awake for a while now but decided not to make it known. She looked over at the bed and saw her brother and Felicity whispering to each other and chuckling, a small smile formed in the corner of her mouth. She saw Felicity's hand resting on top of Oliver's, "Yes!" She whispered to herself. Suddenly both Oliver and Felicity turned their heads towards her. Thea quickly closed her eye tight and drew in a deep breath, once satisfied that she had convinced them she was still asleep she let it out. Although she couldn't physically, in her head Thea was jumping for joy, _"Even with all this struggle, maybe this could be the start of something good, for the both of us."_


	5. The Daring Escape!

**A/N- Hello everyone! Sorry for again taking so long to update. The pollen plague has hit hard where I live and I'm highly allergic to it so needless to say I haven't been feeling very well these past couple of weeks. I've been struggling to find the motivation to write but I absolutely loved this weeks episode of Arrow and it inspired me to push on and finish this chapter so here it is! A couple of things, this is a shorter chapter, sorry for that. Also there is a bit more language this time around, it seemed appropriate given the situation that unfolds. I'll keep a better lid on it in the future. I have gotten some medicine for my allergies now and I feel much better so I will be doing my best to update weekly from now on! Thanks much!**

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"Detective Lance sighed as he collected the papers on his desk and stood from his chair, he turned around and headed for the hallway that lead to the SCPD'S interrogation rooms. Lance's partner was leaning against the wall arms crossed and tapping his foot, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

"The kids been stewing for hours, can we get in there already?" Slade asked.

Lance quirked an eyebrow and frowned, "You seem a little too eager to talk to this guy."

"You kidding me baldy? He's been toying with us for how long now? Plus he's probably working for the biggest criminal drug outfit this city has ever seen, you should be just as eager to screw him to the wall as I am."

"Still, maybe I should take this one alone," Lance advised suspiciously. "He won't be able to tell us anything if he's got a broken jaw, and the way you're acting makes me think you just might pull that kind of move."

"Screw this guy and screw you!" Slade pointed to the interrogation room and then Lance. He pushed him self off the wall and reached for the door knob.

Lance quickly reached for his wrist and stopped him, "Wait!" The two men shot firm glances at each other, "At least let me take the first crack at him, alright?"

Slade sighed, "Fine, but you remember how cocky he was last time we interrogated him, the second he starts that crap up again, I'm stepping in and lighting a fire under his ass."

"Fair enough," Lance conceded and allowed Slade to turn the knob. As they entered Slade stood off to the side and folded his hands, while Lance headed straight for the table and took the seat across from Machin. All three men were silent as Lance set a folder down on the table and opened it. He removed several papers and arranged them in front of Machin as he drew in a deep breath. "Mr. Machin," Lance spoke up once he had finished. The younger man remained silent and stared down at the floor, "Mr Machin!" Lance repeated, "shall we try this again? You feeling anymore cooperative now that you've had a chance to think about your situation?"

"Not really," the young man mumbled.

"You maybe wanna rethink that answer?" Lance offered.

"No actually I don't," Machin replied and chuckled.

"Lance heard his partner let out a small grunt, he turned to face Slade and shook his head then turned back to the subject of his interrogation. "Look pal, I'm not kidding myself here, I know we've been in this situation before and I know that you managed to get yourself out of it. The thing is we're not letting you get away this time, your stuck, so why don't you just help us out a little and maybe we can do something to make this whole thing better for ya. What do ya say?"

"Machin slowly rose his head, "Oh but of course Detective," he replied sarcastically. "Anything to help the boy's in blue," a dastardly smile stretched across his face.

"Lance frowned but pushed on, "Take a look at these photos," he gestured to the papers on the table. All of these are the results of the work of a man who we think you might be involved with."

"Oh?" Machin replied, "Who might that be?" He asked as he briefly glanced at the photos.

"The Count," Slade interrupted.

"The Count?" Lonnie looked up at him and grinned, "You think I'm working for the count? You're funnier than you look Detective," he leaned back in his chair.

"Slade tensed up and clenched his fist but remained in place.

"Come on now don't play dumb, not with us," Lance interjected hoping to ease the growing tension in the room. " We suspected that you were working with the count when we dealt with you two years ago. You confirmed our suspicions when a band of armed mercenaries attacked your prison transport and you escaped, not to mention the fact that you were arrested for cooking Vertigo. The evidence is pretty damning if you ask me."

"Machin adjusted himself and sighed. He seemed completely uninterested in what was happening, after another deep sigh he spoke up. "Now detectives, while I don't know him personally, I've heard all the rumors going around about The Count. He's a ruthless violent man who won't hesitate to end your life just for looking at him the wrong way. He's a monster. Even if I was working for him, which I'm not, why would I risk my life by telling you?" His smile grew wider.

"You don't have to tell us," Lance smirked. "We ran a drug screen on you when we brought you in," Lance produced another paper from the folder and tossed it on the table. Lonnie placed his hand on it and rotated it so he could read it. "We found vertigo in your system."

"So? That doesn't prove anything," Machin retorted, "there are lots of copycats out there these days. Everyone's trying to get in on the vertigo trade including me, how do you know I didn't make it myself?"

"Because, the vertigo in your system is the newest strain," Lance explained. "The Count's men have been spreading the word that this version is so pure and perfect that no one can replicate it. We've arrested several druggies and even a few competing dealers over the past few weeks, they've all confirmed that if you want the really good stuff you've gotta go to the man himself."

"Lonnie looked away in frustration. Lance rose from his seat, walked around and leaned against the table next to Machin, "Now the fact that we found that particular strain running through those puny little veins of your's leads me to believe that you're not being truthful with us. The only way you could know about that formula is if you bought it or if you were in The Counts employ. Either way we can lock you up for a long, long time. You're finished, so why don't you help us out and we'll do what we can for you."

"And what would that be exactly?" The young man grumbled.

"A reduced sentence maybe, some extra privileges in your cell, who knows?" Lance replied.

"Lonnie was silent for a minute, he seemed to be considering the offer. However a moment later he lifted his head, and his dastardly smile returned. "No dice!" He exclaimed and sat back in his chair, "Like you said detective," he gestured to Lance, "I'm finished, I'm screwed no matter what. So why would I help you with anything while I can just sit back and watch you run around like chickens with you heads cut off?" A smug look came over him and he laughed.

"That's it!" Slade yelled and walked to the table. "Look at these photos! Look at them!" He grabbed Machin by the hair and slammed his head down on the table against one of the photos.

"Slade!" Lance yelled.

"You shut up Baldy, your way isn't working, It's my turn." Slade turned his gaze back to The young criminal. "Look at it!" He pointed at the photo and applied more pressure, "This girl died of a vertigo overdose, she spent the last three hours of her life screaming in agony, hallucinating and terrified. She was only seventeen!" Slade pulled Lonnie's face up and forced it back down onto another photo. "This dumbass burned his family's entire home to the ground when he dropped his lighter and set his stash on fire, he was too high off a vertigo LSD cocktail to do anything about it. Turned himself into a piece of jerky to boot."

"Well that's his own fault," Lonnie chuckled. "He should have known better than to mix Vertigo with other drugs."

"Shut up!" Slade demanded and tightened his grip around the boy's neck. "We know you're working for The Count, so as far we and the law are concerned these deaths along with so many others are on your hands just as much as they are his." Slade lowered his head down to Lonnie's eye level and lowered his voice, "Its already set in stone that your never gonna see the outside of a prison cell again but if you don't want your life to get any worse than it already has I suggest you cooperate you hear me you little son of a bitch?" The two men stared firmly at each other, suddenly a faint beeping sound began chiming.

"What the hell is that?" Lance questioned and looked around the room.

"Lonnie's scowl curved into a grin and he began laughing, "That my dear Detective, is the bug I had implanted into one of my molars.

"A bug, In your tooth?" Impossible, we swept you for bugs and didn't find any.

"This is new untraceable tech, designed it myself actually. Your little magic wand can't pick it up."

"Damnit!" Slade exclaimed and grabbed Machin by the jaw, pulling his mouth open. He looked inside and sure enough one of the teeth in the back of the boy's mouth appeared to be fake. Slade jammed a finger down Machin's throat but the younger man quickly bit down as hard as he could. "Son of a bitch!" Slade exclaimed as he grabbed his hand in pain.

"Lance slammed a hand down on the table, "Enough! How do we turn it off?"

"Lonnie looked up at him and spit Slade's blood out, "Oh it's far too late for that Detective. You see not only is my implant a bug, it's also a tiny wireless speaker. That sound you're hearing is an alarm letting me know that I've distracted you just long enough to execute my daring escape!"

"Really?" Lance asked as he jumped up from his seat and rand around the table to secure Lonnie. "Just how do you plan on doing that?"

The beeping sound suddenly grew more rapid, and Lonnie grinned from ear to ear. "Like this!" Suddenly a loud boom erupted from down the hall followed by gun fire seconds later.

"What the hell?" Slade exclaimed and turned around, he peered out the door's window then turned back to Lance. "Sounded like that came from evidence lock up, stay with the twerp!" He ordered as he drew his side arm and reached for the doorknob.

"Like hell!" Lance retorted and drew his own pistol, but Slade was already out the door and down the hall. Lance started after him but before he could leave the room another explosion sounded and blew out a wall in the main room directly across the hall, Lance quickly turned and took cover as debris struck the wall in front of him. After a moment he peeked around the door frame and watched as a masked gunman stepped through the hole in the wall. The gunman quickly scanned the room and when his eyes connected with Lance's he pointed his gun at the detective. "Oh crap!" Lance had to think fast, he ran back towards Lonnie as fast ah he could and kicked the door behind him attempting to shut it, the gunman opened fire. Lance leaped over the interrogation table and tackled Lonnie, who was still cuffed to the table, to the ground. Both men fell to the floor and the table flipped on its side, providing them with some much needed cover.

As the gunman continued to fire at the door it swung back open and bullets began crashing against the table, it wouldn't hold long. Lance poked his gun around and tried to return fire but had no luck. The metal of the table began to give way and a bullet punched a hole not far from Lance's head.

"Having fun Detective?" Lonnie cackled as he lay on the ground.

"Shut up!" Lance ordered, he drew in a deep breath and prepared to return fire, but as he let the breath out he noticed the gunfire stopped, he heard a magazine eject from the attackers weapon, this was his chance. Lance immediately stood straight up and opened fire, firing off as many rounds as he could as fast as he could. The gunman cried out as Lance's rounds entered his chest and he fell to the ground. Quentin hurried back to the door and stepped out into the hallway, as he did two more attackers entered through the hole. Quinten hit the floor and rolled behind an overturned filling cabinet, he pulled his spare magazine from his belt, reloaded and fired at the intruders. He hit one in the leg sending him to the ground, another officer taking cover behind a desk managed to hit the other one in the neck killing him.

"The room was for quiet for several moments. Quentin could still hear gunfire and cries coming from other parts of the building but it seemed he'd been given a break, for the moment anyway. He drew in a deep breath and checked on the other officer, "You alright?" He called. The officer nodded in response, Quinten could see that he was clutching his shoulder but it didn't look too bad, he'd survive. Quinten motioned for the officer to stay put and carefully stepped back towards the hallway, he had to find Slade. The guy may be a pain in the ass, but they were still partners.

Quinten quickly surveyed the hall, it was empty, he pointed his weapon straight ahead. He cleared each of the adjoining rooms as he proceeded and tensed with each gunshot he heard. "How the hell did this happen?" When Lance neared the end of the hall the last door on the right, evidence lock up, swung open, Slade stumbled out and fell to the floor. Lance started towards him but another gunman emerged from the room and took a few steps towards Slade with his rifle pointed at the detective's head.

"Slade propped himself up against the wall, "Well come on then!" He exclaimed through ragged breaths, "Do it you son of a bitch!"

"Don't tempt me," the gunman replied. Slade responded by spitting at the man's foot, the attacker growled and took another step towards him.

"Hey!" Lance yelled and steadied his weapon.

"Now now detective," a voice called from behind. Lance turned his head, Lonnie Machin walked out of the interrogation room at the other end of the hall, he was escorted by another gunman. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised with a sinister smile.

Lance swung his gun around and aimed it at Machin, "You Bastard, what the hell is this?"

"I told you detective, it's my daring escape!" Lonnie laughed. "Now unless you want your partner there to lose his other eye, I suggest you step aside."

Lance tightened his grip on his gun and edged his finger closer to the trigger, he could feel beads of sweat running down his forehead. One ran down into his eye and caused him to wince, he blinked and tried to clear his vision.

"What are you waiting for?" Slade yelled to Lance. "You can't let him get away again, shoot him!"

"Uh uh uh Detective," Lonnie retorted. "Like I said, step aside, or else that nice man will shoot your partner in the head and then this nice man will shoot you dead. Either way I'm walking out of here. It's your choice."

Lance looked from Lonnie to Slade then back to Lonnie, he racked his brain trying to find another way out of this, but there was none. Quinten had to make a choice.

"Damnit bald cap shoot him!" Slade ordered.

Lance stared the villain in the eyes, the two men spent what felt like an eternity locked in a battle of wills neither one wanting to give in. Finally Quinten lowered his gun, he had made his decision.

"A wise choice detective." Lonnie smiled triumphantly as he and his guard walked past Quentin and down the hall. both gunmen kept their weapons trained on the detectives as they walked and when the reached the large opening they had initially blown in the wall Lonnie turned around and smiled. "Oh and Detective, give my regard to Ms. Smoak if you would. Tell her I'll be seeing her real soon, he snickered and disappeared through the opening.

Lance ran to Slade's side and knelt down. Slade turned his head away, "You should have shot them," he groaned and adjusted himself.

"Yeah and you and I would both be dead right now," Lance replied as he put pressure on one of Slade's wounds.

"Can't believe that son of a bitch got away again. Back to square one eh?"

"Guess so," Lance sighed, "But don't worry about that right now." Quinten listened and observed their surroundings, the gun fire stopped and had been replaced by the sounds of feet frantically hitting the floor and sirens blaring from outside. He looked back at Slade, "Let's get you taken care of."

"You guys ok?" A fellow officer called as he ran down the hall towards them.

"Guess you could call it that." Slade groaned and sat up. The other officer peered out of the hole in the wall and scanned for enemies, then turned back and assisted Quinten in getting Slade to his feet.

"What the hell just happened?" The younger man asked looking at the detectives.

"I don't know," Lance replied.

"But we're sure as hell going to find out!" Slade finished.


	6. A Beginning or an End?

Chapter 6: A Beginning or an End

* * *

Felicity sat in deep thought as her limo drove towards Starling General for what felt like the hundredth time this week. Several days had passed since Oliver's surgery and he was still recovering. Originally the doctors had told him he could go home last Wednesday, but his wound unexpectedly became infected and he had been forced to spend an extra week in that hospital bed so that the doctors could get it under control. Thankfully Dr. Elisa Schwartz had stepped in last night and let him know that he could be discharged sometime today. While Felicity had initially been excited about her night in shining armor, she now found that a part of herself was feeling disappointed.

Oliver was going home, would she still have a reason to see him? Would that be considered inappropriate? Would people care? Should she care if people care? Would he care? Would he even want to see her again? All of these questions circled around and around in her mind and made her feel uncertain about what would happen next. The only thing she was sure of was that she felt like there was something special between her and her gallant hero. It was something that they were both just now discovering, and it was something she desperately wanted to hold onto.

As she stared out the window and watched drops of rain slowly trickle down the glass, Felicity replayed her time with Oliver in her mind. They had spent hours talking about anything and everything, or rather Felicity had talked and Oliver had listened. Felicity had been concerned that she was talking too much and that she was annoying him, but then she'd look into his eyes and something about them seemed to tell her that he was perfectly happy letting her guide the conversation. That was something Felicity desperately needed in her life, someone who would sit there and listen without judgment while she let her mind wander and go on the crazy adventures it seemed to create. He made her feel relaxed in a way nothing and no one else had before.

"Felicity?" Oliver had asked her one of the few times he'd actually managed to get a word in, "Not that I don't enjoy your company, believe me, I do, but you're the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Don't you have more important things to do than sit around in a hospital room with me all day?"

Felicity brushed a lock of hair out of her face and smiled up at him, "No," she replied without hesitation."

Oliver returned her shy smile, "What about the board of directors, I doubt they're ok with you spending so much of the company's time on a foot soldier like me. I don't want you getting into trouble on my account."

"Oliver hush," Felicity ordered softly. "The board may be a bunch of stuffy old businessmen with egos just as big as their wallets, but I've trained them well during my time in the big chair." Felicity sat up straight and smiled proudly, "They know better than to try and mess with me," she gave him a playful wink. Oliver chuckled. "Besides," Felicity rolled up to the head of the bed and nudged Oliver's shoulder, "Every single soldier can make a difference in battle, and I see a promotion in your future, maybe to lieutenant or even general!"

"Well thank you," Oliver replied shyly.

"Oh, you should get a metal!" Felicity suddenly blurted out. "What's that one they give to wounded soldiers?" She looked at him and tried to find the words.

Oliver grinned and laughed, "Felicity I highly doubt I qualify for a Purple Heart."

 _"Purple Heart?"_ Felicity thought to herself, " _I'd rather give you mine."_ she finished her thought and quickly analyzed Oliver's expression, hoping she hadn't said that out loud.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine," Felicity replied. " _You're fine? No girl, he is fine, like real fine, like hotter than An active Volcano and the core of the sun combined fine,"_ her brain interjected. _"Hey, you should tell him that! Come on tell him that, right now! Tell him that he's the most beautiful human being on the face of the earth and that your falling head over heels for him and that you wanna kiss his face come on tell him! Tell him! Tell him to tell him to tell hi-"_ Felicity pressed her palm to her forehead and groaned.

"You sure you're alright?" Oliver questioned.

"Just a small headache," Felicity replied, she pursed her lips tightly and prayed she could keep her mouth from vocalizing what was going on in her head.

"Ms. Felicity?" Eli her driver called, rousing her from the memory. "We've arrived."

Felicity checked her watch as the car came to a halt at the hospital's entrance, 8:05. "Ok," she told herself, "This could be the last time you have an excuse to spend time with Oliver outside of a professional setting. You'd better make the most of it."

She was right. While Felicity had taken these two weeks and allowed her mind and heart to run away with themselves, the fantasy was coming to an end. After today Felicity couldn't throw caution to the wind and say "To Hell with everyone else," like she had been doing, and that saddened her. While She hadn't completely ignored the side of her brain that was telling her how crazy risky this whole thing was, Felicity had enjoyed putting what she thought and felt first for once. The habit of putting others before one's self was one of the many things she had discovered that she and Oliver shared. Felicitywas going to miss their visits and their talks she didn't want this to end, but if it had to she was going to take full advantage of the time they had left. Which is why she was incredibly disappointed when John rolled her into Oliver's room minutes later to find him fast asleep.

She let out a deep sigh, "Crap."

* * *

Oliver drew in a deep breath as his eyes slowly opened and blinked. As he roused from sleep he looked around his hospital room. The lights were dimmed and the blinds were closed but he could see the light from out outside attempting to stream through. As he rolled his head Oliver noticed that the TV was turned on to the local news. The volume was faint, almost silent, but he could see the banner at the bottom of the screen, "Smoak Tech Assassin continues to evade the law's reach after the attack at SCPD precinct."

"No," Oliver muttered under his breath as his chest tightened up.

"Well good morning sleepy head," Felicity cooed as she wheeled over to greet him. "Well, it's morning for you anyway, for the rest of us it's just passed lunch," she smiled playfully. "Sorry about the TV, I hope it didn't wake you."

Oliver ignored her and focused on the TV, he watched intently. It seemed that Lonnie Machin, the man who had attacked Felicity at the Starling Grand, had escaped and he had help.

"Hey, look at me," Felicity interrupted as if she had read his mind. When Oliver didn't obey she lifted the remote and shut the TV off. "Oliver," he turned his head and looked her in the eyes, Felicity could see the fear growing in him. "I'll be ok, really. John's posted extra guys on me and the SCPD has officers escorting me everywhere."

"When did this happen?" Oliver asked not breaking his gaze.

Felicity looked down and twiddled her thumbs, "last Thursday," she looked back up at him sheepishly.

"Almost a week ago?" Oliver shot up in bed, "He's been out there for six days and I'm just now finding out about it? You've been here every day and you haven't thought to mention it to me? Not even once?" Oliver's breathing became frantic and his chest tightened up again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Felicity repeated and took hold of his hand. "The doctor mentioned that keeping your stress levels down could help the healing process. I wanted you to get better as soon as possible, so I may have enlisted Thea's help to keep you from finding out."

"Thea knew about it too?" Oliver thought back to his interactions with his sister over the past several days, no wonder she had refused to let him have control of the remote. "Where's my sister?"

"She's safe don't worry, I sent John with her to make sure the apartment is ready when you get home. Oliver, I'm really sorry, please forgive me, and don't get upset with Thea. We both just want what's best for you." Felicity put a hand on Oliver's chest, "Lay back."

a curious look washed over Oliver's face, "What about the detectives, Lance and Wilson? They never came back. Didn't the want to question me?"

"They tried," Felicity replied as she stared at him. "Thea fought them off, with Dr. Schwartz's help. Now please lay back."

Even though Oliver was upset he sighed and did what he was told. They had only known each other on a personal level for a short time, but Felicity had already developed away with him that he couldn't ignore. It didn't really matter what was being asked of him, if it was her asking, he would do it. As he gave in to the soft pressure Felicity was placing on his chest A knock came at the door, it was Dr. Schwartz.

"Ah finally awake I see, good afternoon Mr. Queen, Ms. Smoak." Dr. Schwartz smiled as she entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Well I'm a little tired to be honest," Felicity replied and stretched in her chair. "Haven't had my morning coffee yet and- Oh, you were talking to him weren't you?" She joked and nudged Oliver playfully. Felicity didn't get the laugh she had hoped for but she did see a tiny smile start to form in the corner of Oliver's mouth.

"I'm doing fine doctor," Oliver answered

"Well then, while it's been lovely having you with us I think you've just about worn out your welcome don't you?" The doctor joked.

"Couldn't agree more," Oliver replied and smiled

"Ready to head home?"

" _Does he have to?"_ Felicity silently asked, then immediately scolded herself .

"More than you know," Oliver replied.

"Well alright then, I want to take one more look at you just to make sure everything's still as it should be and then I think we can let you go. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful."

Dr. Schwartz moved to Oliver's bedside, she glanced from her patient to Felicity then back. "Oliver, I know that Ms. Smoak's visits have been your favorite part of your time here, and she's been around so much that she might as well be considered family at this point. However, I'm going to have to ask her to wait outside this time." They both turned to Felicity with pouty faces.

"Of course," Felicity acknowledged and smiled at Oliver. "I'll be right outside."

"Don't worry Ms. Smoak, I won't keep him from you for too long," Dr. Schwartz assured.

Felicity reluctantly wheeled herself out into the hall and the door shut behind her.

* * *

"Ok all done!" Dr. Schwartz exclaimed as she dried her hands with a towel and moved to open the door.

The second the door swung open Oliver could see both Thea's and Felicity's faces peek around the door frame, it made him smile. "Well don't just stand there, come on in."

Felicity quirked an eyebrow and chuckled.

Olivers eyebrows shot up. _"Don't just stand there? Really Oliver? Great choice of words_." He kicked himself mentally but Felicity didn't seem to be upset.

Thea quickly took hold of the wheelchair's handles and pushed Felicity into the room followed by John. "So what's the verdict?" She asked hopefully, "Do we get to go home?"

"You sure do!" The doctor chirped.

"Thank God!"

Dr. Schwartz chuckled, "I just need to finalize some paperwork and the nurse will be in shortly to take you down to discharge." Dr. Schwartz quickly stepped out of the room and returned moments later with a bag of Oliver's personal items from the nurse's station "Here you are, I'll leave you to get situated. Oliver, while I wish it had been under better circumstances it was very nice meeting you."

"You as well Dr. Schwartz, and thank you again for saving my life." Oliver smiled

"Just doing my job Mr. Queen." The doctor smiled again Shook both Oliver's and Thea's hand before exiting the room.

"Well big man," John exclaimed as he walked over and clapped Oliver on the shoulder, "You ready to go home?"

"Definitely, Oliver replied and looked over at Thea. "Speedy can you book us a cab?"

"I don't think so!" John interrupted, "you got yourself first class service right here!" He laughed and pointed to himself.

"Thank you, John, but you've already done more than enough, both of you have," Oliver replied and looked over at Felicity.

"Look, man, I'm not really too keen on the idea myself, but I think you and I both know that neither one of us has a choice in the matter." John chuckled and followed Oliver's gaze. An awkward silence came over the room as Oliver and Felicity looked into each other's eyes. When it became unbearable John finally spoke up. "Thea, why don't we give these two a minute, you wanna see all the cool stuff Eli's got for us in the limo?"

Thea gave him a confused look but quickly caught on, "Oh absolutely! Is there a mini bar in there? Maybe I'll sneak myself a little something-something!" She turned and winked at Oliver.

"Don't you dare!"

Thea waved him off and followed John out into the hall. After stopping to speak to the two bodyguards posted outside of the room she and john disappeared.

Felicity quickly turned back to Oliver and tried to put on her best serious face. "Ok look here mister now that the doctor's been by it's my turn to give out orders, I don't want to see you within a hundred miles of a Smoak Tech facility until you are back to one hundred percent got it?" Felicity pointed at Oliver and scrunched her eyebrows. "And don't you try to slip past me cause I'll be watching, like a hawk!"

Oliver failed to hold back a smile and chuckled, although he knew he should be taking Felicity's words seriously he couldn't help but find her extremely adorable when she was laying down the law. "Oh really?"

Felicity blushed, "Well, I don't mean literally watching you, that would be creepy and inappropriate, I am your boss after all. I just meant I'll be keeping an eye out for you, not a literal eye, of course, that would require a lot of surgery and I kind of need both my eyes and…" she looked at Oliver as his smile grew into a grin. "…Look you know what I mean ok? Just don't come to work until I say it's ok!"

"Yes, ma'am." Oliver conceded.

"Good boy," Felicity smiled. It took her a moment to realize what she had just said. _"Crap, it'll be a miracle if this guy doesn't sue me!"_

Oliver simply smiled and adjusted himself in bed so Felicity pressed on. "Now, I know the doctor said you might be able to return to work within six weeks but you're going to take longer than that, not optional. Also, you're going to be taking paid leave, also not optional. Oliver opened his mouth to protest. "No no no no no!" Felicity interrupted wagging her finger. "I said not optional." Oliver sighed and zipped his lip, he had grown quite accustomed to the quirky blonde's rants over the past two weeks and he knew that once she got started there was no stopping her. Instead, he opted to sit in silence and let Felicity do what she did best, talk, and at that moment that was Good enough for him.


	7. Our Ollie

**Chapter 7- Our Ollie**

* * *

Felicity stretched and massaged her hands as she sat in her office on the top floor of Smoak Technologies HQ, she looked down at the clock in the bottom corner of her computer screen and groaned when she saw that it read March 10th one fifteen AM. It seemed that she'd been typing for hours trying to send out various e-mails and coordinate with overseas business partners to set up online meetings, one of which began in just under an hour. Normally Felicity didn't mind keeping odd hours, in fact, she often found it easier to work when there was no one else around. All she needed was a good cup of coffee or an extra large soda from big belly burger and her fingers could fly across that keyboard all night long, but lately, things had been different. Although Felicity had refused to show it, her life being threatened had made a significant impact on her.

Felicity trusted John and the other members of her security team with her life, she always would no matter what. However knowing that there was a man, multiple men rather, out there in the world that wanted her dead made her terribly nervous. When detectives Lance and Slade came to Felicity with offers to move her to a safer location where the SCPD could better protect her she had declined. Felicity Smoak was the CEO of one of the most well know and active Business conglomerates on the planet, she couldn't just up and disappear overnight, she couldn't back down and cower in the corner either. The world was always watching and Felicity knew that she had to be strong, she settled for police escorts for her limo but couldn't take them up to the safe house. Now though, thinking back a small part of her regretted that decision.

The past few weeks had been quiet, other than the usual buzzing coming from the many bees that made up the Smoak Tech hive. There had been no talk of assassins or drug lords or explosions, and between John's team and the SCPD Felicity could barely make a move without somebody watching over her. So why did she still feel so anxious? Why couldn't she relax, not even for a minute? Because she was her mother's daughter. Donna Smoak had always been an overprotective parent and that only escalated when Noah and Felicity had their accident. After that day Donna had spent most of her time going out of her way to find the absolute safest way to approach every situation. Everything had to be done with precision and care, nothing could be out of place or Donna would go into panic mode.

"Felicity honey be careful! Felicity, don't touch that! Felicity where are you going? What will you be doing? Who are you going with? Call me when you get there, please! Felicity, don't forget to take your pills! Felicity do this…and that...don't do this…or that!"

From the time she was seven years old, these were the kinds of interactions Felicity most often shared with her mother. For the next twelve years, up until she left for college, caution anxiousness and apprehension were constantly drilled into her brain. These feelings became a part of Felicity just as they had her mother and although she had fought tooth and nail to overcome them and be the fearless courageous woman that she wanted to be, she couldn't always ignore her nature. Which is why lately, Felicity couldn't help but obsess over the situation she found herself in. There was a killer out there, maybe even an army of killers, and they wanted her. They wanted her dead, "Or alive" didn't seem to be an option. What if Lonnie tried again? What if the men who attacked the SCPD came for her? Just thinking about it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Felicity loved John and everyone on her security team like they were family but they couldn't be prepared for an army, and no matter how badly she wanted him to it was highly unlikely that a certain someone would be around to pull off another incredible act of heroism.

That certain someone was another reason Felicity felt so anxious. Three weeks had passed since Oliver had returned home from the hospital and begun his recovery. Three weeks and Felicity hadn't heard a peep from him, no calls to the office, no emails, nothing. Felicity knew she shouldn't worry, Oliver was probably just following her orders and resting up, still, she couldn't help but be concerned. Far more concerned than she should be for someone she shared a professional relationship with, an employee, but concerned none the less.

Was that all Oliver was to her though? Just an employee? Felicity found her brain, the rational side anyway, fighting harder and harder to convince herself that was the truth. "He's just an employee, nothing more." Meanwhile, the other half allied with her heart in protest, "he's incredible and gorgeous and strong and amazing and wonderful and amazing. Did I mention he's amazing? Come on don't fight it! Give in embrace it, feel what you wanna feel!" The constant back and forth that raged inside made Felicity's headache.

"Ms. Smoak," the voice of Eric, the night guard posted down in the lobby rang over the intercom.

The interruption was so abrupt Felicity jolted causing her chair to roll backward, she quickly grabbed the desk with both hands and pulled herself back into position. Felicity pressed a button on her desk phone and responded, "Eric you know I don't answer to that."

"Oh, right uh…Felicity?"

"Much better," Felicity chirped. "Now how can I help you?"

"We've got a situation down here."

Felicity threw her elbows up on the desk and rubbed her temples, "And what would that be?" Felicity sighed then suddenly realized she could be in danger, "Do I need to send John's men down to help you?" She asked and eyed the two men guarding the door to her office.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary."

Felicity relaxed a little.

"There's a young woman outside yelling and banging on the glass, I tried to send her away but she seems very upset," Eric explained.

Felicity quirked an eyebrow, "Well has she told you her name?"

"No but she keeps repeating something else, she claims that her brother saved your life."

"Thea? What's she doing here?"

"Miss…uh…Felicity?" Eric asked in an unsure tone, "Should I call the authorities?"

"No! No that's Thea Queen. Let her in and put her on the phone please."

"Yes ma'am," Eric put the phone down and moments later Felicity could hear Thea's muffled voice coming through the phone. After a few reassuring words from Eric and some frantic footsteps, the phone was lifted and Thea came through clearly.

"Fe-Felicity?" Thea asked through tears and ragged breaths.

"Thea? Thea, it's ok I'm here, what's wrong sweetie why are you crying?" Felicity replied with concern in her voice.

"It's- its Ollie," Thea answered in between sobs.

Fear immediately shot through Felicity, "What about Oliver Thea? Is he ok?"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know? What do you mean you do-" Felicity stopped, took a breath and tried to calm herself. "You know what hold on Thea, Eric is going to bring you up to me and we'll figure this all out ok? Hand the phone to him real quick."

"Right away ma'am," Eric replied after receiving his orders and hung up the phone.

Felicity sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Oliver was in trouble, but what kind of trouble? Why had Thea come alone? Where was he? What happened? These questions circled around in Felicity's head until the elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open. Eric exited first and ushered Thea towards the office

"Felicity!" Thea cried when she saw the other woman through the glass. She lunged forward and ran towards the door but was stopped by the two guards outside.

"It's okay let her in!" Felicity ordered as she wheeled out from behind her desk. The guards both turned to look at Felicity before lowering their arms and allowing Thea to pass.

"Felicity," Thea repeated as she sobbed. Felicity motioned for the younger woman to come closer, Thea hurried towards Felicity and fell to her knees when she reached her.

"Thea, honey why are you so upset? What's happened to Oliver?"

"He's gone!" Thea cried as she buried her face in Felicity's lap.

"Gone!" Felicity cried, "Oh my god!"

Thea raised her head and their eyes met, she saw the shock in Felicity's eyes. "Oh no, not gone like dead! God, I'm so sorry that's not what I meant!"

Felicity let out the breath she'd been holding in, "Thea you can't scare a girl like that."

Thea extended her hand and wiped a tear from Felicity's cheek. "I'm so sorry Felicity, I just meant that Ollie's gone like he's missing."

Felicity relaxed ever so slightly, but this was still concerning news. "Go on," she prodded.

Thea took a deep breath and began to explain. "Ever since Ollie left the hospital I've been doing pretty much everything for him, you know he's on bed rest. Felicity nodded. "Ollie's window has a window seat, a good sized one, I've been bunking in there so I can be close if he needs me."

Felicity smiled, "That's very sweet Thea."

Thea smiled back, but her smile quickly turned to a frown. "About an hour ago I woke up to use the bathroom, I got up and went over to the bed to check on Ollie but he wasn't there. I figured he was probably just in the kitchen, he sometimes wakes up to snack once or twice.

Felicity giggled internally, _"Awe, a fellow grazer."_

"When I got back from the bathroom I figured I'd find him in bed, but he still wasn't there," Thea continued. "I called him but I didn't get an answer so I went out into the kitchen to find him but still, no Ollie."

Felicity nodded in understanding, "What'd you do next?"

"I tried calling his cell but he didn't answer," Thea pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and showed it to Felicity. "I found it on the floor in the living room."

Thea began to cry again but Felicity took hold of her hand and tried to calm her down, "Its gonna be okay Thea just take a deep breath.

"But Felicity, he could be out there hurt, all by himself! I was supposed to take care of him!" Thea's breathing became frantic, she dropped her head into Felicity's lap and gave into the emotions that were overwhelming her, she burst into tears. "I lost my big brother!"

"Oh Thea,"Felicity ran her fingers through Thea's hair and rubbed her back. "Come on now I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"How? How is it not my fault?" Thea questioned desperately. "What if it was that guy who tried to shoot you? Or that count the detectives were telling us about? Oh god, what if those mercs who attacked the police station kidnapped him? Oh god!" Thea stood abruptly and began to pace back and forth.

"Thea none of those guys have been heard of or seen in weeks. Plus if a bunch of guys with guns and body armor broke into your apartment don't you think they'd make a fair amount of noise? You would've have heard them."

"Ok, what's your point?" Thea barked as she walked to the window and stared down at the city below.

"My point," Felicity retorted as she wheeled up to Thea, "Is that you and I both know how strong Oliver is, he's got the body of a god for Pete's sake." Thea turned and gave Felicity an incredulous look. "Sorry, I just mean that even while recovering from a bullet wound he's more than capable of getting around, however slow and labored it may be. Don't you think it's more likely that Oliver left on his own?"

"I guess," Thea sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm just really worried about my brother. Ollie's all that I've got."

Felicity gave her a sympathetic smile, "Don't sweat it, and hey Oliver's not all you've got. You have me too."

Thea smiled and wiped another tear away, "Thank you."

"Of course, now think for a minute. What reason would Ollie have for leaving in the middle of the night without telling you?"

"I really don't have a clue," Thea replied confused. "Plus he always takes his phone with him, no matter where he's going, he's always reminding me that we have to be able to get ahold of each other no matter what. That's really important to him."

Felicity looked down at the phone Thea had left sitting in her lap and an idea sprang to life. "Come here," Felicity reached up, grabbed Thea's hand and pulled her toward the large desk at the rear of the room.

"Where are we going?" Thea asked confused.

"Grab that!" Felicity released Thea's hand and pointed to one of the cushioned armchairs in the sitting area. Thea did as she was told while Felicity wheeled her self behind the desk and retrieved a small piece of ribbon from one of the drawers, she quickly pulled her hair up and tied it in a ponytail. Once the chair was retrieved Felicity motioned for Thea to bring it around and place it at her side.

"What are you doing Felicity?" Thea questioned.

"If anyone asks absolutely nothing," Felicity replied and began typing. "And by that, I mean that what I'm doing isn't technically or entirely legal."

"Felicity!" Thea exclaimed with a surprised look on her face.

"Shh shhh quiet!" Felicity chuckled, "It's just some harmless hacking." Felicity took Oliver's phone and placed on a grey pad that sat next to her computer, upon contact the pad chimed and a yellow light appeared in its top left corner. The light blinked for a few seconds before it turned green and chimed again, as it did a window opened on Felicity's computer screen. "Ok we're in," Felicity chirped, she turned to Thea and smiled. "Now sit back and watch mama go to work," Felicity gave Thea a reassuring wink then turned back to her screen.

Thea watched as Felicity's fingers darted from key to key. Page after page of text and code appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye, it gave Thea a headache just to try and keep up. But from the look on Felicity's face, it was obvious that the tech genius was in complete control

"Hmm that's strange," Felicity spoke up after a few minutes had passed.

"What, what is it?" Thea asked concerned.

"I'm trying access Oliver's phone records, I'm thinking if we can figure out who his last call was to maybe it'll give us a clue as to where he's gone."

"Ok, so what's the problem?" Thea questioned.

"I can't get to his phone records, every time I try and get to them I get shut out. Everything freezes up and I have to start all over again. Look here," Felicity pointed to a specific line of text on her screen. "See that?"

Thea squinted and tried to read the text, "Mhm, uh, what the heck am I looking at here?" She looked at Felicity and quirked an eyebrow."

"Right! Sorry, sometimes I forget that not everyone is fluent in HTML. Really all you need to know is that shouldn't be there, looks like a virus of some sort."

"Virus? You mean Ollie opened one too many adds or something like that?"

"No this was professional work by a skilled hacker from the looks of it."

Thea was confused, "Who would want to hack Ollie's phone? Not like there's anything useful to anyone on that thing. I mean, he's only got like five friends on Facebook for Pete's sake!"

Felicity laughed out loud, "You are too cute! Not that kind of hacking, no this is real heavy duty stuff." Felicity resumed typing but after several minutes her screen turned red and the word "ERROR!" Blinked in large lettering. The error message was accompanied by a sharp beeping sound. "Damnit!" Felicity exclaimed and slammed a hand oh the desk."

"Felicity it's ok, if you can't do it we'll find Ollie another way."

"Oh I can do it," Felicity raised a finger, "trust me. Whoever this is they're good, I'll give them that, but they have yet to tango with the likes of Felicity Smoak. Just a few more seconds and, there!"

"You found it? Ollie's phone records?"

"Not yet, but I have created a little something of my own to fight off whatever the hacker did."

"What is it?" Thea asked inquisitively.

"Let's just call it anti-virus software!" Felicity replied. "It'll fight off the virus in the phone and clean it up, I've also included a sniffer that'll find the information we want once the virus has been dealt with."

Thea perked up and smiled wide, "Wow, impressive work Smoaky!"

Felicity turned to Thea and chuckled, "Smoaky huh? I like it!" She grinned. "Now the only downside is that this is going to take some time to work its magic."

"How much time?" Thea asked.

"Probably a couple of hours," Felicity replied apologetically.

Thea frowned, "Well we can't just sit around here waiting."

"Is there anything else you can think of that might help us find Ollie?" Felicity asked.

Thea scratched her head, "Not really."

Both women sat in silence for several moments before Thea spoke up. "I guess we could go back to the apartment and look for clues."

Felicity's eyes widened, seeing Oliver's home was not something she had ever expected to happen and she found that the idea stirred up mixed emotions within her. On one hand, she found herself wanting to jump at the opportunity, seeing how Oliver lived might somehow deepen the connection between them, and that was something Felicity desperately wanted. On the other hand, Felicity reminded herself of her position and how she was always being scrutinized. Felicity had been lucky so far, even with her frequent and lengthy visits to Starling general, that there hadn't seemed to be any rumors or gossip going around about her and Oliver at the office. However, taking Thea up on this offer could ruin that streak of luck. If anyone found out that Felicity Smoak CEO had made an unscheduled late-night visit to the home of one of her employees for no apparent reason, it could open pandora's box.

Doubtful, Felicity placed her hands in her lap and began twiddling her thumbs. "Hmm that's a good idea, but maybe I should call John and ask him to go with you, or maybe we can call Detective Lance.

"What? You're not coming with me?" The questioned with disappointment in her eyes.

"I probably shouldn't Thea."

"But, I need you, so does Ollie. You care about him don't you?"

"Of course I do! I really, really do, that's why I think it might not be the smartest decision for me to come along."

"Please Smoaky, come on!"

"Thea I don't think that's a good I-"

"Felicity please," The grabbed Felicity's hand and gently squeezed. "I'm really scared right now," The explained as a tear welled up in her eye. "I don't want to be alone, and other than Ollie and Curtis you're the only friend I have," Thea's lips curved into a sad smile, "please help me?"

Felicity hesitantly returned the smile, "Oh Thea," Felicity thought a moment. _"Well, I haven't cared what anyone else thought up until now have I? Oliver was brave enough to help me in my time of need, he didn't even consider the consequences, he didn't care how it could affect him. He just acted, he saved my life. Now it's my turn to help him. It's my turn to act."_

Felicity's smile widened, she reached for her phone with her free hand and pressed a button, seconds later Eric responded, "Yes Ms. Felicity?"

"Eric, would you have the car pulled around for us, please? Ms. Queen and I are going out."

"Right away ma'am," Eric replied before disconnecting.

"Thank you," Thea beamed at Felicity.

"Of course," Felicity replied and took hold of Thea's other hand. "Now, let's go find your Ollie shall we?" She gave Thea a reassuring wink.

"Our Ollie," Thea corrected as she leaned forward and embraced the other woman. "Our Ollie."

* * *

 **Finally posting a new chapter! I'm sorry for the lengthy absence, ive just been having a hard time finding the motivation to write lately and I don't really know why. It's frustrating but I feel like now that season 6 of the show is over and we'll be going into another hiatus my lack of Olicity screen time each week will bring that motivation back. I hope your all still reading and that you will enjoy this new chapter. I will do my best to be more diligent about updating. Thanks again to everyone for all the support!**


	8. The Lost Boy

Chapter8- The Lost Boy

* * *

Felicity twiddled her thumbs in her lap as the elevator ushered herself, Thea and her guards upwards. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Thea smiling back down at her, the nervousness she had been trying to hide must have been more apparent than she'd hoped. Felicity returned the smile and tried to act brave, but inside she was groaning.

"What are you so nervous about Smoaky?" Thea inquired, "It's just our apartment."

"I don't even know to be honest, I guess I'm just worried about him."

"It seems our roles have switched then," Thea chuckled. "Back at your office I was the emotional wreck and you were the brave rational one, now it's the other way around. Are you always this flip floppy with your emotions?" The girl inquired with a smile.

"Not usually," Felicity replied looking back down at her lap. "Or at least not to this degree."

"Ah, so it's just my brother that gets you all worked up like this eh?" Thea chirped. "I knew there was something special between you two."

"Shhh not so loud!" Felicity shushed, she turned to the guard to her right and he looked down at her. "Not a word," Felicity order and pointed up at him, the guard brought his fingers up to his face and zipped his lips in response, his mouth curved into a small smile. Everyone turned to face forward but out of the corner of her eye Felicity could see Thea lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet. "What's that for?" Felicity asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, no reason."

"Liar," Felicity accused as she fought back a smile and failed. A sharp ding rang out as the elevator slowed to a stop, after a brief moment the doors slid open revealing the hallway on the other side. Felicity turned to her guards as everyone exited, "You two can wait here," she instructed.

"Ms. Felicity I'd be more comfortable if at least one of us went with you," one guard spoke up.

"I'll be fine Beck, really." Beck gave her an unsure look, "Come on we're on what, the twelfth floor?" She turned her head to Thea who nodded to confirm. "You two'll be guarding the only way up, I think we'll be okay."

"I'll take really good care of her, I promise!" Thea exclaimed and gave Beck a wink.

Jackson Beckman had been a part of Felicity's security team and a personal friend for several years. Felicity first met Jackson through John, they had served together in Afghanistan. After they both received honorable discharges the two men returned home, for John it was a joyous occasion, unfortunately for Jackson it was the exact opposite. Upon arrival John and Jackson were met by two police officers, they pulled Jackson aside and informed him that his wife had died in a terrible car accident the night before. There had been mix ups when SCPD tried to contact him and no one had been able to reach him. With his wife gone and no children to speak of, Jackson Beckman, war hero, returned home that night to an empty house.

Under these tragic circumstances someone else might have fallen into a deep depression, but thanks to the help of john and other friends and family Jackson recovered as best he could. After taking time to mourn Jackson began looking for work and his friend Dig was with him every step of the way. When john eventually took over as Head of security for Felicity Smoak and Smoak Technologies he knew just who he wanted by his side, he brought the idea to Felicity and she jumped at the opportunity to help. Before Jackson knew it he had a job, a new friend and a new family almost over night.

Felicity even offered to help Jackson out with his bills and pay for a weekly therapist out of her own pocket just to make sure he had all the support he needed. Needless to say Jackson was incredibly grateful for everything John and Felicity had done for him and as time went on they all grew closer and closer. Jackson Beckman, or Beck as Felicity liked to call him was fiercely loyal, dependable to a fault and at times a bit over protective, but in a good way. There was no one else Felicity would rather have as John's right hand man.

The tall muscular man let out a large sigh, "alright then," he conceded still not one hundred percent convinced. "But if I hear or see anything, anything at all that could mean danger, I'll break that door down faster than you can blink Ms. Felicity."

"And I'll love you all the more for it Beck," Felicity rubbed his forearm to reassure him before Thea grabbed her chairs handles and pushed forward.

"We'll be at the end of the hall!" Thea turned back to the men and smiled, "If we aren't back in twenty minutes come running!" Thea chuckled, she heard a small growl escape Beck's throat as she turned back to Felicity, "He knows I'm just messing with him right?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't get on his bad side if I were you," both women giggled. Felicity lowered her head and tried to keep her composure as the apartment door grew closer and closer. With each passing moment an alarm sounded off in Her head, Felicity could almost hear her mother's voice sounding off, trying to convince her to turn around, that this was too dangerous. Felicity drew in a deep breath and held it, she couldn't turn back, not now, not after all that Oliver and his sister had done for her. However unexpected it may have been, both Queens had worked their way into Felicity's life, and into her heart. Although the depth of her and Oliver's feelings towards each other was not yet entirely clear to Felicity one thing was, he and Thea were family now. If nothing else Felicity Smoak was never one to turn her back on family. Felicity released the breath as her chair came to a halt.

"Ok here we are," Thea spoke up as she fumbled through her pockets for her keys. "Sorry these jeans pockets are so small I can't get anything out easily, don't know why I even where them," Thea chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

Felicity looked up at her appreciatively, "Because they make your butt look good that's why!" She joked and nudged Thea's hip, both women smiled and laughed.

"Here we go," Thea finally managed to retrieve her keys and unlocked the door. "Welcome to casa de Queen."

Felicity looked around tentatively as Thea wheeled her through the doorway. It was a charming little space with a somewhat open floor plan, not nearly as cramped as many of the other apartments in Starling City these days. Felicity thoroughly enjoyed not feeling claustrophobic the second she crossed the threshold. The walls were adorned in a pleasant shade of beige with a few red accent walls scattered around. Over all it felt very cozy, but the lighting and placement of the windows kept the space from getting too dark. It was a perfect balance in Felicity's opinion.

"So?" Thea walked around to face Felicity, "What do ya think? I know it's not the penthouse flat or the presidential suite that you're probably used too, but it's home," she exhaled and smiled brightly.

"It's beautiful Thea," Felicity replied and returned the smile, "Really."

Thea placed her hands on her hips and sighed in satisfaction. "Ok then, I was thinking I'd go back and check the bedrooms and bathroom, you wanna stay out here and cover this area?"

"Sounds good," Felicity chuckled.

Thea leaned down and placed her hands on Felicity shoulders, "Thanks so much for coming with me Felicity, it means a lot."

"Of course," Felicity replied. "Ya know between the two of us Oliver doesn't stand a chance, he couldn't hide from us even if he wanted to." She smiled mischievously.

Thea laughed, "I can't argue with that," she stood back up and tossed her keys on a nearby table before reaching back down to Felicity who stared at her open hand in confusion. "Hands in!"

Suddenly recognizing the gesture, Felicity chuckled and complied. Together they chanted, "Three Two One, break!" And laughed out loud before Thea retreated down the hall.

Once she was alone Felicity continued taking in her surroundings, she wheeled herself into the living area and found all of the usual suspects. There were a couple of arm chairs and a leather sectional couch along with a coffee table. Looking closer she could see a couple of issues of Tech Insider, the go to source for all things technology in Starling City, other than the internet that is. Felicity herself had been featured several times and made the cover twice, she smiled when she discovered that both of those issues sat before her on the table. _"Has Oliver been keeping tabs on me?"_ A part of her secretly hoped that he had. Felicity then looked up and chuckled when she came face to face with a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of her, "Well he's got his priorities straight."

There was a mantle under the TV and several picture frames sat on it. Felicity wheeled herself closer and pushed her glasses up on her nose, she could see that the first few photos were of Oliver and Thea. In one they were on some sort of vacation, in the next they were both standing outside the apartment building holding up keys and smiling, " _That must have been right after they moved in,"_ Felicity smiled. The last photo was different however, it was old and faded and looked like it had been taken with an outdated camera. It was apparent that the photo had been folded a few times and parts of the paper had begun to crack.

With out a second thought Felicity reached up, took the photo down and placed it in her lap to get a better look. There were four people in the photo, a young man stood proudly with his arm around the shoulders of a older blonde woman. An older man kneeled down in front of them and smiled from ear to ear as a young girl wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. Felicity smiled realizing that this was a young Oliver and Thea, with their parents. _"They look so happy."_ Felicity suddenly found herself pressing a finger to the glass and running it along Oliver's face, "You've been through so much," she whispered. "When will you get to rest?"

"Find anything yet?" Thea's voice rang out from the hall way.

Felicity shook her head and quickly returned the photo to where she'd found it, "Uh no, not yet!" She called back. "Hey where was it you found Oliver's phone?"

"On the floor near the couch!" Thea responded.

Felicity searched the area but found nothing.

"Hey Smoaky, come here a sec!" Thea suddenly called.

"Where are you?"

"Ollie's room!"

Felicity's eyes shot wide open, "Uh I don't…er…I don't think that's such a good idea Thea," she called back.

Thea walked out into the kitchen with an annoyed look on her face, "Felicity come on, it's not like he's in there naked or anything."

"Hey!" Felicity exclaimed flustered.

"Not that you'd mind that," Thea muttered under her breath as she walked over.

Felicity smacked her arm, "Watch your mouth!"

"Oh stop," Thea chuckled, "I jest." Thea hurried around and grabbed the wheelchair handles, she pushed Felicity through the kitchen into the hallway and made the first left.

After several moments of darkness and silence Felicity finally gave in and slowly opened her eyes. Oliver's bedroom was very neat, everything seemed to have its place and nothing seemed out of place. The reds and browns of the furniture in the living room were traded for blacks and grays. The hardwood floor from the rest of the apartment was carried through, but most of it was covered in a large rug that looked so soft that you wouldn't have been able to tell. Felicity turned her head to the right and caught sight of the closet, she was shocked to see Oliver's suit from the night of the party hanging on the door. It was still stained with blood. "Why did he keep that?" Felicity asked surprised.

Thea followed Felicity's gaze and sighed when she saw the suit. "It's his only one, it's his favorite. Your party was the first time he'd worn it in years. I told him to it's a lost cause but he's determined to find something to clean it."

Felicity stared at the grey dress garment in confusion, "what makes it so special?"

Thea paused a moment and let out another sigh this time with some sadness behind it, "It belonged to our dad."

"Oh Thea I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok," Thea interrupted, she gave Felicity a reassuring smile then looked back to the closet. "That was our dad's lucky suit, or at least that's what he called it. Dad would wear it to every job interview he got when we were younger, whenever dad put that on he exuded confidence and strength, even when he didn't get the job he would always come home with a big smile on his face. When our parents died Ollie and I each chose one thing of theirs that we would keep forever and always to remember them by. I chose mom's jewelry box, it's one of the few fancy things she had, it was passed down from her great grandmother, I can show you later if you'd like.

"I'd like that," Felicity smiled up at the younger woman, then turned back to the closet. "Oliver chose your dad's lucky suit."

"Yep, and it's been bringing him luck ever since. He wore it to his job interview at the power plant, and to his interview at Smoak Tech, and…"

"And?" Felicity gave Thea a confused look.

"He was wearing it the night he met you silly!"

Felicity scoffed, "Yeah don't know how lucky that really was for him, he got shot."

"Oh I'm sure he considers it one of the luckiest nights of his life," Thea winked playfully.

Felicity smiled and rolled her eyes, "I think we're getting side tracked here don't you?"

"You're right, I guess we've got to find Ollie before you two can share anymore super awkward flirty moments huh?"

"Ok Ignoring you now!" Felicity blushed from embarrassment and scanned the room, for a moment she was stumped, again, nothing seemed out of place. Then Felicity noticed that there was an empty pill bottle on one of the bedside tables, "There," she pointed. Thea stepped over and picked up the empty bottle, "Crap he ran out of his medication? I should have been keeping better track of that!"

Felicity pulled out her phone and began typing, "Aha! There's a twenty-four hour pharmacy nearby, Starling RX, is that who you guys go to?"

"Yeah," Thea replied. "Let me call them, maybe he went to pick up some more medicine."

Felicity sat in silence as Thea dialed and placed the phone to her ear. As they waited for someone to answer Felicity's mind began to wonder. As embarrassing as Thea's poking and prodding was Felicity couldn't help but feel like part of herself agreed with the younger woman. Being away from Oliver these past few weeks had stirred up some feelings that Felicity hadn't seen coming. Sure there was the gratefulness, concern and appreciation that one would expect given the circumstances, but under that there was something more. Felicity genuinely missed him, she missed their long talks in that hospital room, she missed the laughs they had shared, and yes even though they were incredibly cringe worthy she missed those awkward flirty moments that made her turn red as a tomato. Felicity missed it all, she missed Oliver Queen. Felicity found a part of her heart hoping, dreaming even, that once this was all over and done she could muster up the courage to find out if he'd missed her too.

Thea let out a large sigh as she lowered the phone from her ear, "No luck."

"Ok, well, let's not lose hope, Oliver can't have just vanished into thin air, especially when he's still recovering from a gunshot wound.

Thea began to get frustrated, "I thought there would be something here to tell us where he's gone, but we've searched the entire place and found nothing! What are we gonna do Felicity?" Thea's breathing quickened and she began to pace back and forth.

"Maybe it's time we called the SCPD, don't you think?"

"But what if he's not missing? What if he just went out and forgot to tell me? I don't want to freak him out and call the cops on him if he's just out getting a burger or something." Thea ran her fingers through her hair and continued to march

"Thea, Thea." Felicity tried to get her attention but had no luck. "Thea!" Felicity wheeled over and grabbed Thea's forearm, "Take a breath, slow down."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I know," Felicity finished for her. "I'm worried about him too, but we're not gonna get anywhere if we can't calm down and focus. Ok?"

Thea drew in a deep breath and let it out, "Ok, what should we do next?"

Felicity gave her a sympathetic smile, "lets go back out into the living room. You can try to get ahold of the detectives and I'll look around a bit more, sound good?"

"Yeah," Thea agreed through deep breaths. "Thanks smoaky, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here with me."

"What are friends for?" Felicity chuckled.

"Girl, after all this you've earned BFF status for sure."

"Why thank you Thea I'm honored," Felicity chirped

As they exited the bedroom and returned to the living room the two women joked about a certain someone's simplistic taste in home décor.

"Oliver prefers a very Toned down style when it comes to his room doesn't he?" Felicity asked.

"Oh absolutely, it's dreadful. I keep asking him to at least throw a couple posters on the walls to break up the monotony but he just won't take the hint."

Felicity chuckled.

"But hey!" Thea continued as she brought Felicity's chair to a halt, "If all goes well then you'll probably be spending a lot more time in there," Thea nudged Felicity's shoulder as she walked around to face the blonde. "I'm sure your womanly touch could brighten the space up a bit!" She winked.

"Oh my God will you stop it!" Felicity exclaimed as she blushed and failed to fight back a shy smile.

"I'll stop, when you two stop being so perfect for each other."

"Call the precinct for fraks sake!" Felicity chuckled.

"As you wish," Thea rolled her eyes and dialed the number.

Felicity sighed and took one more look around the apartment, she rolled herself into the living room while Thea remained in the kitchen. Wanting to be thorough Felicity rolled to the far side of the room and flipped on a lamp that had been off earlier, as she did Thea called out.

"Hey it's like three AM, will Detective Lance even be awake at this hour?"

"He works the grave yard shift a lot, he'll probably be there." Felicity turned herself around as she answered, out of the corner of her eye she got a glimpse of an open cabinet door in the entertainment center that she had somehow missed earlier. Giving it her full attention Felicity could see a DVD player with an open tray, like it had been used recently, she rolled closer to get a better look. Sure enough an unlabeled disc sat in the tray, Felicity gave her new BFF a quick glance but Thea was busy speaking into the phone and wasn't paying attention. Felicity turned her attention back to the disc and stared at it a moment. "Eh, why not," she thought to herself and used a finger to push the tray back in. She quickly found the remote and turned the TV on.

"What's going on over there?" Thea asked.

"Not sure yet, I'll tell you in a sec."Nearly a minute passed as the DVD loaded

"I'm on hold, apparently detective Lance is in the middle on an interrogation." Thea called from the kitchen and rolled her eyes. "Who the heck needs interrogating at three in the morning?"Thea tilted her head and placed the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she started picking at her nails to pass the time.

Finally the loading screen vanished and the DVD began to play, moments later Felicity's hands shot up to her mouth, "Oh my god!" She gasped under her breath, "oh my God!" With each passing second Felicity's fear grew, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "How could this have happened? Why did this have to happen? Why now?" Felicity tore her eyes away from the screen and turned them to Thea, "Put the phone down."

Thea looked up from her primping in confusion, "Wh-what was that Smoaky?"

"Thea, I need you to put the phone down now."

"But, this was your ide-"

"Just do it now please!" Felicity pleaded.

Still confused Thea lowered the phone from her ear and set it down on the counter. "Felicity what's wrong?" She asked but Felicity ignored her and turned her eyes back to the TV. As Thea walked over to join her she followed Felicity's gaze and the same fear that Felicity felt began to rise up in her as well, "What the- is that, who I think it-"

"Mhm," Felicity replied through pursed lips.

"Oh my god Felicity, is this real?"

"Looks real enough to me," Felicity responded with dread in her voice.

"Wha-what are we gonna do?" Thea inquired.

The two women turned there heads and stared at each other, "Thea, I have no idea."

* * *

 **A/N-Hello everyone, I'm so glad to be posting this new chapter. I'm sorry that it took so long, I've been so busy lately that most days I just come home and pass out early. I'm going to try to write more often though and may even have another story idea or two floating around in my head that I might start toying with soon. A quick heads up, I'll probably end up changing this story's rating to M in the coming chapters because the violence will be more prevalent. There will not be anything too bloody and no gore. Nothing inappropriate, I'm just changing the rating to be safe. Also, if you're trying to picture Thea and Oliver's apartment I drew inspiration from Laurel's apartment in the show, I know I don't always give the best descriptions haha. Thanks again to all my readers, you're continued support is very much appreciated!**


	9. Blood in the Water

Chapter 9

 **A/N-I'm finally back with a new chapter! I'm sorry it's been so long I've just been having some trouble at work and it has really discouraged me. I haven't felt much like writing at all, but I'm glad that I managed to get this chapter out and that it's longer than the previous few chapters. I hope that makes up in part for the long wait. A quick note, I ended up having an idea that I really liked so I implemented it in this chapter. In order to do that however I had to make a slight change to chapter 7. If you've already read that chapter I would suggest going back and re reading the first paragraph of that chapter as it establishes the timeline for this one. I hope it's not too confusing and I'll try not to do that in the future. Thanks so much to everyone for your continued support and I hope you're all still enjoying this piece!**

* * *

John yawned as he stretched and groaned at the sound of his alarm. He quickly threw his arm to the side and stopped the noise before it woke his wife as she slept next to him. John sat up, threw his legs over the side of the bed and buried his face in his hands. After taking a few moments to force him self out of bed John placed the covers back over Lyla and headed for the bathroom. Once his shower was complete John dried himself, slapped on some deodorant and cologne, and walked back out and into the walk in closet. A few minutes into getting dressed he heard a familiar groan coming from the bed.

"Why does Felicity have to start work so early?" Lyla Diggle asked as she rolled over in bed.

John's lips curved into a satisfied smile, "Well she is a multi millionaire with a brain that runs faster than most computers, I'm betting she starts the day so early because she has a hard time turning her thoughts off," John explained as he exited the closet while fixing his tie. "All those ideas and processes spinning around in her head probably keep her up at night."

Lyla rolled her eyes and forced herself out of bed, she threw her arms in the air and stretched. "Oh the burdens that come with being a super genius, I feel so sorry for her," Lyla joked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hey come on now,"John walked over and wrapped his arms around Lyla's hips. "Felicity has been very good to us, plus she almost got shot not too long ago, cut her a little slack."

"Oh, I know baby," Lyla replied as she wrapped her arms around John's neck and smiled. "I just wish the SCPD would hurry up and find that piece of crap that tried to shoot her. Maybe then you could take more than one day off every once in a while."

"I want him caught too Lyla, for that reason and many others," John sighed. "But until that happens I'm gonna watch out for her as best I can, it is my job after all."

"And you do it so well," Lyla brought a hand to John's chest and adjusted his tie. "Just make sure she knows that you need time for yourself too, that's what Beck is for after all isn't it?"

"She knows Lyla, I wouldn't have even taken yesterday off if it weren't for her threatening to fire me if I didn't," john chuckled. "I just feel like I need to be there as much as possible ya know? I could never forgive myself if something happened to her that I could have been there to stop."

"I know Johnny, I can't blame you for that, in fact your dedication to her is one of the many, many reasons that I love you." John smiled at that, "I just wish she could find something, or someone to occupy a little more of her time is all," she chuckled. "Hey what was the name of that guy who took the bullet for her again?"

"Oliver, Oliver Queen," John answered.

"Oliver, yeah!" Lyla chirped. "I bet he could give her a reason to spend a couple extra hours in bed each morning!" Lyla winked mischievously.

"You need to stop right now," John laughed and pulled his wife closer to him, he buried his face in her neck and growled playfully.

"Johnny stop!" Lyla squealed and smacked his chest, she grabbed his head and forced it back up to peck his lips. "Ok go protect your other woman then," Lyla joked and waved him off.

John's eyes sprang open, "She-she told you about that huh?"

"Mhmm," Lyla pursed her lips. "We do talk ya know," her lips curved into a teasing smile.

" _Noted_ ," John thought to himself as he turned to leave the room.

"Go see Sarah on your way out!" Lyla called after him. "You forgot the other day and she was very upset with you," Lyla chuckled.

John ran a hand over his face, " _Damn, this stress must be getting to me more than I thought, how could I forget to say goodbye to my own daughter_?"

"Stop that! You've got a lot on your plate right now, it happens. Don't beat yourself up about it," Lyla ordered as she took her turn in the bathroom.

John quirked an eyebrow and smiled, his wife's uncanny ability to anticipate his thoughts never failed her, he sighed and continued down the hall towards his daughter's bedroom. John slowly and quietly nudged the door open and peered around it as he entered, the room was dark and silent save for the eleven month old's rhythmic breathing. John cautiously walked up to the crib and smiled as he looked down at his daughter, he reached down and softly stroked her hand with his own. Responding to her father's touch, little Sarah rolled her head and slowly opened her eyes.

"There's my girl," John spoke softly. Sarah's lips curved in to a big smile and she giggled. John chuckled right along with her, "Good morning to you too!" Sarah stretched out her arms and wiggled her fingers, John sighed. "Alright but only for a minute," he reached down and lifted his daughter up. Sarah squealed and grinned as john held her in his arms, she reached up and grabbed her father's nose and squeezed. John cried in feigned pain and tickled his daughter's stomach with his free hand, the little girl laughed and wriggled in John's grasp. After a few minutes of this John kissed the child's forehead and sighed, "Ok little one, as much as I'd rather stay here with you and your mom I've got to go to work. You be a good girl for mommy ok?" He requested knowing the little girl couldn't answer. He kissed Sarah's forehead once more before lowering her back into the crib. "Go back to sleep baby."

John exited the room and softly shut the door before heading back to his own bedroom to retrieve his pistol from the safe in the closet. As he entered the room he could hear the sounds of his wife still showering in the bathroom, he smiled and found himself wishing he could join her.

"She'd better fall back asleep Johnny or I'm gonna take that pistol out of that safe and shoot you myself!" Lyla called jokingly from the shower.

"Out like a log!" John replied, _"Or at least I hope she is,"_ he chuckled internally as he quickly typed in the code and retrieved his sidearm. "Ok I'm gone, I love you."

"I love you Johnny, tell Felicity we say hi."

"Will do." John exited the bedroom, headed down the hall and out into the living room, he retrieved his dress jacket from the coat rack and threw it over his arm. John then headed to the fridge to get his lunch, next he headed for the door but stopped first to pull his keys wallet and radio from the bowl on the table to his right. He clenched the handle of his lunchbox in his teeth so he could use both hands to strap the radio to his belt and set the earpiece in place. John opened his mouth and let his lunch box fall into a waiting hand before using the other hand to retrieve his keys from the pocket he had just placed them in moments ago and opened the door.

John's morning routine was a busy one, there was no disputing that, but he didn't mind it in the slightest. The past several years john's life had been filled with busy days, juggling a war, working for one of the busiest people on the planet, and now a child at home had forced him to get used to having his hands constantly full. But like any good soldier John knew how to adapt and he was very good at it. As the elevator carried John down he began to pat his pockets looking for something but couldn't find it, after a momentary panic he remembered where he had left the desired item. John reached into the pocket of his dress jacket and pulled out his phone, he sighed in relief as he pressed the power button, he had received a new text from Felicity.

"March 9th 5:11 am. Message from Felicity Smoak.

Subject: Ugh!

Morning John, busy day today, really busy. I've got a million meetings to attend and the board is up my butt about everything under the sun. I don't even see how they can get to my butt I mean I'm literally always sitting down but they still manage to do it!... sorry, that was a stupid joke… Anyway, if you insist on coming in today you're going to have to sit through all of that with me so HA! Lucky you! Also you still haven't completed the company wide mandatory computer training yet, if I have to do it then so do you so get on it please."

"Great, a bunch of boring useless out dated videos and quizzes, can't wait." John sighed.

The last part of the message read, "P.S. I'm probably going to be working pretty late tonight, maybe an all nighter, but just because I seem to enjoy depriving myself of sleep doesn't mean you have to suffer with me. I'll let you come in today but your going home on time weather you like it or not, you've got two lovely ladies at home who are way more important than I am and you need to spend some time with them. I'll have Beck and Kevin with me so you know I'll be safe, so when the day is over please go home or I'll have Beck throw you out on your butt. You know he'll do it," followed by the winking face, pointing, running man, and house emojis. "Hug Lyla and Sarah for me, see you at the office."

John chuckled and shook his head, "Felicity Smoak, always a character."

A sudden ding caught John's attention and he looked up as the elevator slowed to a halt. A few moments later the recorded voice rang out.

"Arrived level P1."

John drew in a deep breath and slipped his phone into his pocket as the doors slid open. John then walked out into the apartment complex's parking garage. After taking a moment to remember where he'd parked John picked his vehicle out of the group and headed towards it, when he reached his car he placed his lunch box on the roof and removed his keys from his pocket. John pressed the button on the key remote, that should have unlocked the vehicle but strangely today nothing tried again still no luck, he quirked an eyebrow and placed the key itself into the lock on the door. When he tried to turn it the lock didn't budge, _"What the Hell?"_ He tried again with no results. "What's going on with this thing?"

"Nothing."

Before John could turn around someone struck a hard blow to his head and he fell against the car. The first hit was followed by another to the backs of his legs. John began to slump down but quickly regained some of his senses, he threw an elbow back and made contact with one of his attackers but the man recovered and grabbed hold of John's arm while a second attacker took his other arm and pressed his face against the car. John struggled as he tried to free himself. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?" He cried.

"Quiet!" One of the attackers shouted. "Your outnumbered and overpowered, it's no use," the second assailant chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" Diggle retorted, "You think a master sergeant in the U.S. Army can't take down a couple of low life's like you?" John gathered all his strength, planted a foot on the ground and pushed up as hard as he could. John cried out as he tried to lift the weight of the attackers and get to his feet, sweat was running down his fore head and into his eyes blurring his already hindered vision.

"Damn who is this guy superman?" One assailant asked the other, both men put more weight on John's body. Despite this john actually managed to make some progress and was beginning to rise when a third voice rang out from behind him, this one was different however. This voice was unnatural, very deep and animalistic, the man was obviously using a voice changer.

"Now now Mr. Diggle," the new voice ordered sarcastically. "That's no way for some one in your, let's call it a predicament, to act now is it?" The man chuckled and moments later John felt the barrel of a gun being pressed to the back of his head. John's eyes widened, he struggled harder but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't escape the men's hold, he subconsciously shot a glance down at his hip where his weapon was holstered. The ringleader must have noticed because he immediately took the gun and waved it in John's face laughing, "Oh Jonny boy, you won't be needing this where we're going, trust me."

The man tossed John's pistol aside, "Search him, then turn him around," he ordered the other men. They did as they were told, once they were satisfied that all of John's pockets were empty they turned him around. John tried to get a good look at them but before he could they began to beat him again and laugh, all he could make out was that the men were masked and decked out in full body armor. Punch after punch and kick after kick made contact with John's body as he collapsed to the ground, he could feel himself loosing consciousness but before he did a loud bang was heard from across the parking garage , like someone had dropped something. Through his blurred vision John could se the assailants turn to assess the threat, he quickly looked around and noticed that in all the confusion his phone had slipped out of his pocket and fallen to the ground beside him. John managed to wrap a couple fingers around it and slip it back into his pocket before one of the men turned his focus back.

"Don't even think about it."

"Go to hell," John fired back.

After a few moments the other men gave up and turned back to John, the ringleader squatted down to john's level. "I have to admit mr. Diggle I admire your tenacity, most men staring down the barrel of a gun wouldn't be so brave."

"This isn't the first time I've had a gun to my face," John replied with anger in his voice.

"I'm well aware of that," the leader retorted, he sighed and rolled his neck in a stretch. As he did the fabric covering his neck edged upward exposing a small section of skin. John's vision cleared up just in time to catch a glimpse that skin and he could make out two small puncture wounds, they were fresh and still bleeding slightly. John suddenly realized who these men were. "You work for the count!"

"Huh?" The man realized what happened and pushed the fabric back into place, he sighed. "That's correct Mr. Diggle."

"Damnit! He knows who we are now! The counts gonna kill us!" One of the lesser thugs exclaimed.

"Shut up, he was gonna figure that out anyway!" The other replied.

"Quiet both of you!" The leader ordered then turned his attention back to John

"Well you seem to have discovered us so I suppose I'll tell you the reason for our little visit today. As you may recall there was a bit of an incident involving one of the count's men and your employer a while back."

"You mean when that little son of a bitch tried to kill her!" John corrected angrily.

"Yes, that incident," the attacker replied sarcastically. "Well the count has thought long and hard on the matter and decided that he can't have any of you ruining his fun. He's got a plan for you and everyone who was involved, so, I'm not gonna kill you. You're going to come with us, you're gonna help him with something. Call it a favor."

"I'll never do anything for you or that monster! You might as well kill me now!"

"Oh I would if I could Johnny boy trust me, but just like I don't get to choose when to end your life, you don't get a choice in this matter." The leader turned his rifle around and struck john square in the face with it, finally knocking him out cold.

* * *

As John slowly regained consciousness he strained to open his eyes, but he was still feeling the effects of the beating he had received earlier. John's head was throbbing and his neck was sensitive to even the slightest movement, he licked his bottom lip and the taste of blood flooded his tastebuds. John's nose was especially painful and he quickly deduced that it was most likely broken, despite all of the pain he was in he cautiously opened his eyes and tried to observe his surroundings. John was being dragged towards a small building, it looked old and rundown and definitely hadn't been used in quite a while.

The windows were all covered in dust and most of them were boarded up, but one was left in touched and john squinted at it. He could barley make out a few desks, chairs and dormant computers through the dirty glass, there was a copier in the corner of the room. This was an office space of some sort but it was apparent that it's tenants had abandoned the building a long time ago. John looked for a sign, anything to identify the building but there was nothing. John closed his eyes and breathed deeply, being careful not to alert his captors that he was aware of anything going on around him. Apparently he had been successful, as he could hear the two henchmen dragging him talking amongst themselves. One was bragging about some hot girl he had met on the internet while the other was complaining about how internet dating had never worked out for him.

" _You've gotta be joking,_ " John thought to himself, he cautiously opened one eye as they neared the door to the structure and the head of the trio removed a set of keys from his pocket and began thumbing through them for the correct key. Suddenly he turned his head to John. John quickly shut his eye and remained silent, if he could just fool his captors into thinking he was still unconscious maybe he could gain the upper hand somehow, the element of surprise.

As the group entered the building the henchmen dragged John over to a wall and propped him up against it, they then stepped away. Once again John cautiously opened his eyes just wide enough to see what was going on but where he could quickly shut them if anyone noticed him. John quickly surveyed the buildings interior, he was correct that this was an office space. The main room was littered with office equipment of all kinds, but it appeared as though the place had been ransacked, or looted. Desks were overturned, chairs appeared thrown across the room and a few were broken into pieces. Pencils and pens were scattered over the ground. Everywhere john looked he saw evidence that several people had worked here but what were they doing? And why had the counts men brought him here. John turned his head to the right and noticed the three men in the main office at the back of the building, they were searching for something and arguing amongst themselves.

"Where is that damn switch?" The leader of the group questioned in his modified voice.

One of the henchmen quickly turned around from where he was looking, "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Of course he didn't tell him," The other lesser thug answered. "You know how the count is, he's gonna toy with us and piss us off for fun, even though we're the ones doing his dirty work."

"Shut the hell up!" The leader ordered, "Do the two of you have a death Wish? You know he's got cameras and bugs all over this place, if he hears you challenging him like that he's gonna kill you idiots."

The other men fell silent and went about there search. As they did John continued to observe his surroundings, his eyes fell to the back wall of the building. It appeared that something had been painted on the wall, a portrait of some kind but it was faded and cracked. A large portion of the painting had been covered by graffiti depicting things that john would have rather not seen at all, but in one corner of the image he could make out the letter B and L in big bold font. John's eyes fell to the opposite lower corner where some text could still be made out. It appeared to be a quote, "Stars above Starling" There was more to the quote but it had been scratched or scrubbed away and couldn't be read. John racked his brain for information, he felt like he had heard that quote before.

" _Stars above Starling, stars above Starling._ " John repeated the phrase to himself several times trying to finish the quote, then after several moments it came to him. _"With the right leadership, our city can shine as bright as the stars above Starling_."That was it, john knew he had heard that quote before. It had come from a former mayoral candidate, Sebastian Blood when he had run for mayor of Starling city several months back. Blood seemed to have had the race in the bag until he mysteriously disappeared a week before the election. No concrete leads or evidence could be found but the SCPD hadn't stopped searching even to this day. Starling City needed a mayor however, so after two weeks of postponing, the election had gone to his opponent. Blood used the quote as one of the main slogans of his campaign. John began to make the connection the more he looked at the image, "This is Sebastian Blood's campaign office. Why would they bring me here, what are they looking for?

"Aha found it!" One of the thugs called out, John carefully peeked around to see what had happened. The thug Was feeling around the molding on the wall when he suddenly stopped. John heard a brief click and after a moment of silence a boom rang throughout the room followed by a few creeks and cracks. Suddenly a section of the wall began to slide back into itself and revealed a set of dusty glass doors behind it.

"Good work," the leader commended. "I guess you're not as dumb as you look huh?" The leader stepped over and observed the discovery, he took a hand and wiped away some of the dust on the glass doors and peered inside. The darkness behind the doors was suddenly interrupted by a light that flickered and sputtered to life. This caused the ringleader to jump back, the other men chuckled. "Shut up idiots!"

 _"You're all idiots."_ John thought to himself.

"Everything appears to be in working order," the ringleader continued in his deep modified voice. "But the doors are stuck on something, get it open now!"

The other two men walked over, each grabbed one of the doors and pulled back with all their might. After a few moments they succeeded and the doors gradually slid open. John peered inside, he guessed it was an elevator of some sort but where would it go? The building only had one floor and one this small shouldn't need a basement. Why would there be any need for an elevator?

The leader stepped inside and did a sweep of the small space, "wonderful, get him up, let's get this over with."

The two lesser thugs turned and started in John's direction. John quickly shut his eyes and tried his best to seem unconscious. He succeeded, the men grabbed him under the arms, hauled him up and dragged him over to the elevator. John kept his breathing steady as the elevator doors closed, the entire space jostled as they began their decent.

Moments later the head thug sighed, "You can stop playing dead now Mr. Diggle. We're going to need you awake anyhow."

" _Damnit!_ " John cursed to himself and reluctantly opened his eyes. "Where are we?"

"You may remember former mayoral candidate, Sebastian Blood?" The ringleader continued without so much as a glance in John's direction.

"I do." John cautiously answered

"This is-was, his campaign office. It belongs to us now."

John quirked an eyebrow, "And how did you come to take ownership?"

"He didn't need it anymore," one of the other thugs interjected and chuckled.

"You might also recall his mysterious disappearance, no evidence, no information, no nothing. That was us."

"Why?" John questioned

"The Count has his reasons."

John brought his hands up and rubbed his neck. "So why did you bring me here, why did you even attack me in the first place? Surely you didn't go to all that trouble just to show me a basement full of dusty office supplies."

"Patients Mr. Diggle, all will be revealed in time."

The next few minutes were spent in silence the lesser thugs stood at ease and began fidgeting with their weapons. The leader continued to stare straight ahead not paying any of them an ounce of attention. Just as the silence became unbearable a ding rang out and the elevator slowed to a halt. One door slid open on its own while one of the thugs had to grab the other one and force it, he and his cohort grabbed John by his arms again and dragged him out of the elevator and into a large dark room. The thugs dragged him over to a column, propped him up against it and began another search, "Where's the damn light switch?" One of them asked as he walked away.

John was still having trouble seeing as it was, but the faint light from the elevator cast just enough of a glow for him to make out a few things. The room was definitely large and open, the space seemed to be round and there were more tables, chairs and desks scattered around the perimeter. In the center of the room there was a large round platform that rose maybe a few feet off of the ground. On that desk sat several computer monitors and other technological devices. It seemed to John it would have been pretty high tech back when it was functioning, that had obviously been a long time ago.

"He really didn't tell you where the light switch is either?" One of the thugs complained. "What an as-"

"Shut up you idiot!" The leader ordered. "I've found it quit being such a baby."

John heard a lever being pulled and suddenly light flooded the room. John squinted and waited for his eyes to adjust, once they did he tried to get a better idea of what this place was.

"You must be wondering what this place is Mr. Diggle. Well you see, Sebastian Blood may have appeared to be the perfect gentleman, truthful and morally just to the core," the head thug began sarcastically. "But underneath all of that he had secrets just like the rest of us, he had enemies. So Blood built himself this little hide out, a bunker if you will, to protect himself, a little paranoid if you ask me but hey I'm not complaining."

"Once we got rid of Blood The Count took it over," one of the thugs explained. "He hasn't had much use for it though, he's got a pretty sweet set up over at the abandon-"

The other henchman quickly smacked him upside the head, "Is your head full of rocks instead of brains? You really dumb enough to give away The Count's base of operations like that?"

The leader barried his face in his hands and shook his head back and forth, "So hard to find good help these days. Anyway, on to you Mr. Diggle."

"What about me?" John asked with anger in his voice.

"Remember I said you're going to help us with something? Take a look up there for me would you?" He pointed up at the platform in the center of the room.

John could see that he'd been right, there were several computers set up on two desks that sat opposite each other. In the center of the plat form sat a chair and across from it was a tripod and camera, "What's that for?" John asked.

"As I said earlier Mr. Diggle, The Count has a plan for you, a plan that it's now time to execute." The leader nodded to his henchmen and the hauled John up onto his feet. They forced him up the stairs to the plat form and over to the chair. When they pushed John into the chair he tried to resist but found himself too weak to do so, he began to feel woozy. "Wha-what did you do to me?"

"Feeling strange Johnny?" The leader chuckled. "I may have given you a little something on the way over."

John's eyes widened as he fell into the chair his head started to throb. An intense pain began to rise throughout his entire body, "What did you do to me?" He demanded.

"Check your neck," One of the goons chuckled.

John painfully raised his hand to his knock and felt around. His fingers rubbed across two small holes near the base of his neck, the wounds were fresh and still bleeding. "You son of a bitch!" John exclaimed, "You gave me vertigo!"

"That's correct Mr. Diggle." The ringleader chuckled. "And now that you're awake it should be taking full effect."

John cried out and gripped the arms of the chair with all his might. The pain flooding his body was increasing exponentially, it was the worst pain he had felt in a long time. After several more moments of this the leader kneeled down to John's level, "Now John, this doesn't have to persist if you'll just cooperate. All this pain can go away if you'll just do as I ask."

John cried out again and lowered his head. The pain was almost unbearable it felt as if John was being burned alive, he could feel every drop of sweat as it ran down his forehead and into his eyes. John's brain was pounding against his skull so hard he thought it might explode, but he gathered up whatever strength he had left and raised his head to look that monster right in the eyes. "What ever it is, th-the answer's Hell no! I'll never do any-anything to help you or that Bastard!"

"Not even for the antidote? There is an antidote you know."

"No…" John protested through strained breaths. "I'd never put my friends in danger by helping you!" John reared his head up and spat at the leaders mask. "I'd rather die right here!"

"I see," the man sighed as he stood and wiped his mask with his sleeve. "Perhaps another form of motivation then." One of the thugs produced a tablet from his pack and handed it to the leader. He spent a few moments typing then shoved the screen into John's face. "Maybe you'll be a little more cooperative now eh?"

John shook his head and looked at the tablet, it took him a few moments to realize what he was looking at but once he did his anger grew tenfold. On the screen was a video of his apartment, it looked like the camera was perched on the roof of the building across the street. Through the window Lyla could be seen holding baby Sarah and rocking her back and forth. "What is this!" He demanded.

"Keep watching."

John's eyes turned back to the tablet and as he watched the barrel of a sniper rifle came from the edge of the screen the clicking of the safety switch could be heard as the rifle was aimed at John's wife and daughter. "No!" John cried. "Please no! If you hurt them I swear I'll-"

"What John? You'll Kill me? I really don't think you're in any position to make such a threat."

John stared at the man in front of him with hatred in his eyes, "I swear when this crap wears off I'm gonna beat you within an inch of your life. I'm gonna punch you so hard, so many times your own mother won't be able to recognize you!"

All three man laughed, one of the henchmen men doubled over and slapped his thigh. Moments later the leader took on a serious tone, "Ok that was fun, but let's get serious here John. Do what I ask, or they die. It's your choice. Are you going to cooperate or not?"

John stared at the tablet and cursed over and over again in his mind, he didn't want to give these men the satisfaction of controlling him. He didn't want to endanger anyone else's lives, especially Oliver Or Felicity's, but he didn't have a choice. The lives of John's wife and daughter were at stake, he couldn't let them get hurt. John looked at the men with all the hatred he could gather and sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

The leader turned the tablet back and typed some more, when he had found what he was looking for he turned the screen back to John. "Read."

John took a few moments to read silently and his eyes widened, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I-I can't read that." He protested.

"Oh I think you can John," the ringleader replied. "Remember what's at stake. Hit record!" He ordered one of his men. He then turned back to John, " _Read!"_

John's mind wandered to thoughts of Lyla and Sarah. They were the most important things in the world to him. He let out another heavy sigh and looked down at the screen. He began to read.

* * *

John's attackers stood around him as he sat unconscious in the chair, "What do you think he saw?" One asked the other.

"I don't know but it must have been pretty bad."

"yeah Vertigo'll do that to ya, hey he looked pretty funny freaking out and begging while you held that blank screen up to his face huh boss?"

"Quiet," the leader ordered as he sat at one of the desks and worked on a laptop. A few minutes later he popped open the disk drive and pulled out a disk. "Here," the leader said placing the disk in an envelope and handing it to one of the henchmen, "You know what to do?"

"Yeah boss, get it to hero boys apartment."

"And who exactly is Hero boy?" The leader asked annoyed.

"That Queen guy boss," the thug replied.

"Good now go, we'll take care of Johnny."

"you got it boss," the thug replied and headed for the elevator.

The leader spun his chair around to face John. "Now, what to do with you..."


	10. Here Goes Nothing-part 1

**A/N-Hello readers, sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's taken me this long to write this chapter because this chapter and it's second part are both action packed and while I do love good action sequences and what not, I've been in more of a fluff mood lately. I'm wanting to write the mushy stuff when I need to be finishing this chapter so I apologize about that. This will be a two part chapter, I've already got a chunk of part 2 done so it won't be too long before I post that. I hope that the delay hasn't caused any of you to lose interest in this story because I do plan on continuing it for a while longer. Thanks again to all of you for your wonderful support!**

 **Here Goes Nothing-Part1**

* * *

My name is John Diggle," John's voice rang out from the television.

Felicity's hands shot up to cover her mouth, "Oh my god John."

"This is a message for Oliver Queen."

Thea placed a hand on Felicity's shoulder and crouched down beside her. "Look at all those bruises, and the blood, what happened to him?"

"I have no clue, I-I talked to him just this morning and he was fine. John was supposed to come into work today but he changed his mind at the last minute. I told him he should spend the day at home with Lyla and Sarah and he took me up on it, or at least, that's what he messaged me back. Now look at him," Felicity looked from Thea's face to the screen as tears welled up in her eyes. Both women grabbed for each others hands and squeezed as they watched.

"Mr. Queen," John continued as his eyes moved back and forth, it was obvious he was being forced to read from a script. "I speak to you on behalf of someone who you have not yet met, but someone who's affairs you have greatly disrupted over the last couple of months."

"The count!" Thea and Felicity whispered in unison

"The incident that occurred between you, Ms. Smoak and my man Lonnie Machin some weeks ago has brought a lot of, unwanted attention to my little operation." The video continued, "I tried to ignore it, I didn't really consider you much of a threat at first. However, my sources inside the SCPD are telling me that there has been an investigation launched to discover my whereabouts, it seems Mr. Queen that you have brought the dogs of war to my doorstep and that is something I simply cannot tolerate."

Felicity and Thea looked on in horror, they squeezed each other's hands so tight that they began to tingle. Thea turned her head and rested it on Felicity's shoulder, the young girl couldn't bare to watch but Felicity kept her gaze focused on John as he spoke.

"So I began to think to myself about how best to eliminate this threat that you've so graciously laid at my feet. I mulled over several options. Killing you out right would work but that wouldn't last long enough, torture would be fun but that just doesn't seem harsh enough, then suddenly it came to me. You seem like one of those selfless hero types who always puts the well being of others before your own, so what could be worse than causing you incredible amounts of physical pain? Inflicting that pain on the ones you love."

Thea and Felicity looked at each other, it wasn't hard to guess who The Count was referring to.

"As you can see I already have Mr. Diggle in my clutches," John continued. "Next I'll be coming for that pesky CEO of your's Ms. Smoak and your precious little sister. One by one they'll disappear from your life, and from this plane of existence…Unless…" A low growl began to rumble in John's throat, "I'm not reading that." He mumbled to someone behind the camera.

"Read it or they die!" A low ominous voice replied.

John let out a heavy sigh, "Screw you," he uttered under his breath as he turned his eyes back to the camera. "Unless you turn yourself into me."

Thea gasped as her head shot up to the television screen, "No Ollie, you didn't!" More tears began to flow and she was helpless to hold them back.

Felicity gripped the young girl's hand tighter, "Shh, it'll be ok," she rubbed Thea's back in an attempt to comfort her as the video continued to play.

"Willingly trade your life for their's and all will be forgiven. Mr. Diggle will be set free and I promise you that no harm will come to Ms. Smoak or anyone else you care about. If you choose to accept my offer then be at the abandoned juvenile detention center by the bay in one hour. You know what's at stake here Mr. Queen, so don't try to play any games with me. Nobody follows you, and No cops or your life won't be the only one I take tonight. Make your choice."

"Well done Johnny," the voice of one of John's captors rang out.

John frantically looked back at the screen, "Oliver I'm sorry, I never would have done this but they have my-" The camera was cut before he could finish.

Felicity stared at the static on the screen as Thea buried her face in her hands and continued to sob. _"Damnit Oliver."_

"What are we gonna do?" Thea uttered through her tears. "You know Ollie, he's probably on his way there right now. My brother is gonna sacrifice himself to save us, we can't let that happen!"

"I know Thea, I know," Felicity replied. _"Alright Smoak pull yourself together,"_ Felicity ordered herself. " _Think, think, come on! You heard what The Count said, no cops. You can't get the SCPD involved this time, you're gonna have to do this yourself. Oliver's been to Hell and back for you, now it's your turn to save him, the only question is how you're going to do it._

 _"A better question is what in the world are you thinking!"_ The voice of Felicity's mother crashed against her skull. _"Felicity darling why would you ever even consider doing something so dangerous? This isn't a game on one of your computers, this is real life! If you die out there you don't get another chance, you're just gone! That's a chance you just can't afford to take sweeti-"_

"Shut up mom!" Felicity exclaimed.

"Wha-what?" Thea asked still crying

Felicity opened her eyes and looked at the young girl apologetically, "Sorry, did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah," Thea replied and gave Felicity a small smile as she wiped a tear.

"I do that sometimes."

"I've noticed," a small laugh escaped Thea's lips. "I can see why Ollie thinks it's cute." Thea scrubbed her hands over her face and looked back to Felicity. "What are we gonna do about my brother?" She asked as her smile curved back into a frown.

Felicity took in a deep breath and let it out, "We're gonna go get our Ollie, that's what."

* * *

"We need to hurry!" Felicity urged as her limo pulled into its usual spot in Smoak Tech's parking deck. Eli stopped the car and hurried around to grab Felicity's chair from the trunk and open her door for her. "Thank you Eli."

"Of course ma'am," Eli replied as he held the wheel chair steady for Felicity. Thea opened her door and hurried around to the other side of the car, once Felicity was secure in her chair the two women hurried off towards the other side of the deck. "…Miss Felicity?" Eli called after them.

"Yes Eli?" Felicity answered with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Is something the matter? Both of you were uncharacteristically quiet on the way over, and I can see the worry on your faces. Is there anything I can do to help? Does it have anything to do with why you had me run that light?"

Felicity smiled, "No, thank you Eli but that will be all. I'm sorry I kept you up so late, and made you break the law. Take tomorrow off and get some rest. I'll have Jerry drive me."

"Very well then. Goodnight ma'am," Eli replied and headed off to his own vehicle.

After wishing Eli a goodnight Felicity turned back to Thea and pointed frantically, "There, we've gotta take that van over there!"

Thea looked confused, "A van, what do we need a van for?"

"It's the Smoak Tech public event command center," Felicity explained as they neared the vehicle. "Whenever I'm attending a promo event or making a public appearance we use it for tech support and to coordinate all of our employees." Felicity rolled herself around to the back of the van and gestured to Thea, "Open the doors," Thea did as instructed and gasped when she peered inside. The small space was stuffed with enough computer equipment to run a small country. Several monitors were mounted on the walls and wiring ran through the entire vehicle. To top it all of they had still managed to somehow fit a small desk and chair in there too.

"You guys ever use this thing for a stake out?" Thea joked.

"We probably could," Felicity chuckled. She reached inside and pressed a button set at her level on the wall. A whirring sound and a few bumps were heard as a wheel chair ramp emerged from under the vehicle and unfolded itself. Once that was complete Thea helped Felicity inside and Felicity moved from her wheelchair to the seat at the small desk. "Ok, let's get a move on."

"Who's driving?" Thea inquired.

"You are of course!"

Thea paused to make sure she had heard that correctly, "Really? You're serious?"

"Duh," Felicity joked. "Do you see anyone else around?"

"…Awesome!" Thea exclaimed as she hurriedly closed the doors and ran around to the driver's side.

"Just try not to turn me into a crash test dummy ok?" Felicity chuckled as the younger woman hopped into the driver's seat."

"Keys?"

"In the visor," Felicity pointed with one hand and began typing with the other. Suddenly a loud screeching sound rang throughout the parking deck followed by slamming car doors. "Oh crap."

"What? What is it?" Thea asked as she put the key in the ignition. Moments later the vans rear doors flew open, Thea and Felicity both turned there heads to see Beck and the other guard staring back at them. The men were obviously in distress and out of breath from running.

"Miss Felicity, what the hell is going on?" Beck asked? First you come flying out of that apartment at lightning speed and when I ask you what's wrong you say nothing. Then you call off your police escort, then to top it all off you have Eli ditch us at a frikin red light and almost cause an accident. What in the world is so urgent?"

Felicity pondered a moment, "I did almost get Eli into a wreck didn't I? I should probably give him the rest of the week off." Felicity kept her focus on the screen in front of her and continued typing.

"Miss Felicity?" Beck prodded but got no response. "…Miss Felicity!"

Felicity huffed as she turned to face beck and Kevin, "Fine, I'll level with you. John and Oliver are in trouble, big trouble, like life or death trouble. We found a DVD in the apartment, it was a message from The Count that he relayed through John."

Beck tensed up, "Dig's been taken?"

"Mhm," Felicity replied solemnly

"We need to call the SCPD!" Kevin blurted out and produced his phone from his pocket.

"Don't!" Felicity cried desperately.

Beck reached over and pushed Kevin's arm back down to his side. "I'm guessing by that reaction and the way that you two are gearing up for battle that the cops aren't invited to this party?" He looked at Felicity inquisitively, she nodded in response.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked confused.

Beck responded with a frustrated look, "If you call the SCPD Dig and Mr. Queen are dead, that's what I'm talking about!" Kevin looked at the ground and put his phone back in his pocket. "Well then," Beck sighed, "I guess it's up to us to save them huh?"

"Beck I can't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to ask Miss Felicity, you've been a god send to me ever since Ellie died. You gave me a job, a home and a family. You never wavered in your trust or support of me. I'd follow you to Hell and back if need be. You've always been the kind of person who would walk into the lion's den for someone you care about. There's absolutely no chance that I'm letting you walk in there alone."

"Felicity smiled warmly and placed a hand over her heart,"Thank you Beck."

"Of course ma'am. Besides, you and Dig are family, I guess that includes Oliver now as well." The two stared at each other a moment. Although no words were spoken they were both reminded of how much they meant to one another, Beck broke the silence first. "Ok let's get it done," he gave Felicity a reassuring nod before shutting the back doors and hurrying around to the drivers side. Beck flung the door open and scowled when he saw Thea sitting in the driver's seat, "I'm driving!"

"Ok, ok!" Thea threw her hands up in surrender and hopped down. "You're no fun," she ran around and hopped up into the passenger seat.

"Where am I headed ma'am?" Beck turned to ask Felicity.

"For the bay!" Felicity ordered without looking away from her monitor.

As Beck turned back to start the van he noticed Thea staring blankly ahead, she was obviously worried about her brother. "Hey," Beck spoke up, "Don't worry, if anyone can find your brother it's her," he nodded towards the blonde super genius.

Thea looked over at him and smiled, "I know, thanks."

"Let's get a move on people, drug lords to stop hunky heroes to save!" Felicity ordered.

"Hunky?" Thea perked up.

Felicity frowned, "Crap I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Mhm," Thea chuckled

"Just drive." Felicity sighed

* * *

Oliver breathed deeply as he hid behind a tree, he peered over slightly and attempted to read the sign on the large building that lay before him. It was almost pitch black on the stretch of road leading up to the place but there were two guards posted at the entrance and the gate was equipped with flood lights. The remains of the words "Juvenile Detention Center," could still be made out. _"This is the place."_ Oliver thought to himself, he shivered as a cool breeze rolled over him. Oliver turned and slumped back down against the tree and rubbed his hands together, _"Ok you can do this."_ He told himself as he tried to shake off the cold. _"Diggle is one of Felicity's closest friends, he's your friend now too and you don't turn your back on friends. He needs you to be strong, they all do. If giving yourself up is the only way to keep them safe,"_ Oliver drew in a deep breath and let it out, _"Then that's what you're_ _gonna do."_

Oliver drew in one last deep breath and pushed his foot off the ground as he exhaled. Oliver cautiously advanced towards the guard post, he prayed with each step that he wouldn't hear a gunshot.

After what felt like an eternity Oliver reached the edge that separated the light from the darkness, he stopped in his tracks and looked ahead. Part of Oliver was too scared to move while the other barked at him to man up and do what needed to be done, he stood motionless as the two sides waged an internal war. Eventually though, Oliver knew what side had won so he stood up straight, rolled his shoulders and looked straight ahead. "Just remember who your doing this for," Oliver told himself as he took a step into the light.

"Hey who the hell are you?" One of the guards yelled as Oliver drew near, the man lifted his rifle and aimed the laser sight right between Oliver's eyes. The second guard followed suit.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" Oliver pleaded. "My name is Oliver Queen, I believe your boss is expecting me."

The two guards looked at each other, the first must've recognized the name, he nodded and lowered his rifle. The other guard hesitantly complied and lowered his as well. "Mr. Queen, you decided to take the Count up his offer eh?"

"Smart choice," the other guard continued as the two advanced towards Oliver. Each man quickly grabbed an arm and together they began to escort Oliver to the chain like fence gate.

"You know this really is a sweet deal your getting, trading your life for the lives of ya loved ones."

"I don't know If I'd call it a deal," Oliver replied. "If it's what keeps them safe, then it's what has to happen."

"How honorable," the guard replied.

"Either way you're pretty lucky," the other guard chimed in. "If the Count hadn't offered you this deal, what Machin tried to do to your little girlfriend would've been the least of her problems."

"Yeah," the other guard chuckled. "If the count had gotten his hands on her, that Smoak bitch would've died horrible and slow."

Oliver's gaze shot to the guard. "Don't talk about her like that!" Without even realizing what he was doing Oliver threw his foot into the man's groin. The guard toppled over in pain, the second guard attempted to restrain Oliver but it was no use. Consumed by rage Oliver drove his fist into the man's gut as hard as he could then grabbed him by the face and smacked his head into a near by metal fence post. As his opponent sunk to the ground Oliver turned back to the first guard, the one who had insulted Felicity, his Felicity. This monster thought he could just casually curse Felicity's name and get away with it? Not if Oliver had anything to say about it. "Don't, you ever, talk, about, her, like, that, again!" Oliver yelled as he repeatedly drove his foot into the man's ribs, he was seeing red.

This overwhelming anger was a strange feeling for Oliver, he wasn't normally the type of person to be set off so easily. Then again Oliver rarely found himself in situations that would provoke such hostility, but lately there had been a lot for him to be angry about. For the most part Oliver had done what he always did, he pushed his anger down, so far down that no one else could find it or be burdened by it. This time was different though, this piece of scum had unfortunately caught Oliver at a time where all that anger and emotion had floated to the surface. Staring death in the face had turned Oliver into a ticking time bomb of kept up rage. Oliver was a bomb, and by Insulting the woman he cared about, this piece of crap had given him the perfect opportunity to go off.

After several more kicks to the guard's torso Oliver stopped and dropped to his knees, he panted as he sat on all fours and looked at his two victims. Oliver wasn't happy about what he had just done, that kind of brutality was something he had never wanted any part of and up until now he had never desired it, but there was something about her, something about Felicity that brought it out of him. It scared Oliver that a person could have that deep an effect on him. His feelings for Felicity were definitely unlike anything Oliver had felt before, he dismissed the fear, shook his head to regain his senses and slowly rose to his feet. As he did something fell from the sky and landed directly in his eye

"Really?" Oliver exclaimed as he recoiled and his hand shot up to his eye. "Damn rain." Another drop landed on his shoulder, then another and another. Within seconds there was steady rain fall. "Just what I need right now." Oliver eyed the rest of the path leading to the building, there didn't seem to be anymore guards around, at least none that he could see. Oliver sighed, scrubbed his face with his hands and put one foot in front of the other as he made his way to the steps at the end of the path. After conquering the last step Oliver leaned into the building's double doors and shoved them open. Oliver groaned as the doors screeched loudly, and rubbed his ear in pain. Once he was inside Oliver released the doors and quickly covered both ears as they scraped and squealed back into place. Once the painful noise subsided he raised his head and looked around but there wasn't much to see, the lobby seemed to be deserted. The entire first floor seemed to be empty. Muffled sounds could, however, be heard coming from upstairs.

Oliver took a few more steps forward, "Uh, Hello?"

"Ah Mr. Queen," a modulated voice answered.

Oliver's eyes shot up as two men emerged from the darkness and began approaching him. They were both wearing masks just like the ones on the guards out front. Their armor covered anything that could have been used to help identify them.

"The count's been expecting you," the men slowly walked up to Oliver, he eyed them up and down.

"I know he has captain obvious," Oliver smirked

One of the guards turned to the other and chuckled, "He makes jokes! Even if the face of death."

The other guard laughed for a moment before his tone changed and he turned his head back to Oliver, "Death is no joke Mr. Queen, especially for you!"

Before Oliver could blink he was blindsided by the butt of a rifle, his head throbbed as he fell to the ground. Oliver was unconscious in seconds.

* * *

"Are we close? Please tell me we're close!" Thea pleaded as she looked back at Felicity who was still typing furiously.

"We're close," Felicity replied. "Beck take your next left and drive for a couple miles. We'll come up to a bridge, The Count's hideout is on the other side."

"Yes ma'am."

Thea and Felicity both held on for dear life as Beck turned abruptly then slammed on the gas to head for the bridge.

"Holy crap!" Thea exclaimed. "Were you a NASCAR driver in a past life or something?" Beck smirked at that.

"This is why Eli's my driver," Felicity joked.

"Crap," Beck sighed.

"What? What's wrong?" Thea asked as she turned to face forward. "Crap," Thea repeated when she realized what it was. The bridge that they needed to cross was a draw bridge, capable of being pulled up to allow boats to pass through. The bridge was in the up position.

Beck brought the van to a halt, "Wait here, I'll go check the operator's station." Both women nodded as Beck hopped out and jogged over to the tiny building not too far away.

As Beck left Kevin, Felicity's other bodyguard walked over from his vehicle that he'd been following in."You alright ladies?" Kevin asked through the rolled down driver side window.

"Not really," Thea replied somberly.

Felicity glanced over at Thea as they waited, it was obvious through the young girl's body language that she was on edge. Who could blame her? If this rescue mission didn't go well Thea could be facing the possibility that she might never see her brother alive again, that would cause anybody distress. Felicity quickly ran a hand through her hair and dismissed the thought, she couldn't think like that, she had to be strong for Thea, and Oliver. "Hey," Felicity spoke softly.

Thea turned her head and wiped a tear with her hand, "Yeah?"

"We're going to find him, he's going to be ok."

"You think so?"

Felicity reached out to Thea who accepted her hand, "I know so. You two just came into my life, I'm not letting go without a fight."

"Thanks Smoaky," Thea replied. "You're the best."

"I try," Felicity shrugged and smiled. Moments later Beck ran back up to the van and leaned in,

"Any luck?" Felicity inquired.

"No," Beck replied disappointed. "You want to give it a shot?"

"Way ahead of you," Felicity answered as her fingers returned to the keyboard. "Ok here we go," Felicity mumbled as she worked. "Accessing the city's power grid... pin pointing our location…need to pull up the schematics for the bridge…"

"What are you doing Felici-"

"Shhh," Beck brought a finger to his lips. "She's in the zone right now, let her focus."

Thea nodded in understanding and zipped her lips, she watched as Felicity's fingers flew effortlessly from key to key and her eyes darted from monitor to monitor, it was obvious that Beck's statement had been true.

"Reroute that…bypass that and…there!" Felicity hit enter and looked out the windshield at the bridge, the others followed suit and as they did lights on the bridge began to flicker to life. Creaks and groans could be heard as gears tried to turn. "Come on, come on," Felicity whispered. They all watched in anticipation, and just when Felicity started to think she'd failed a loud groan rang out and the bridge began to lower. "Boom drop the mic!" Felicity exclaimed as she threw her hands up and dropped the figurative object.

"Way to go Smoaky!" Thea cheered. Beck hopped up into the driver's seat and Kevin darted back to his vehicle. "Let's go get my brother."

"You heard the lady Beck, onward!" Felicity chirped. As the vehicle advanced Felicity stared out the windshield at the road ahead, her stomach began to knot when she felt the van jostle once they had crossed. Felicity's anxiety grew and grew the closer they got to their destination, but she tried to calm her nerves by reinterpreting the situation. _"Just think of it this way, you're not headed towards a madman's evil lair that's filled to the brim with armed mercenaries who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in you on sight…you're headed towards him."_ Felicity drew in a deep breath and let it out, _"You're headed towards him…you're headed towards him,"_ she repeated to herself. Even though the fearful calculated side of her wouldn't have admitted it, thinking of it like that was helping a bit.

* * *

Oliver groaned as he reluctantly rejoined the land of the living, as his eyes fluttered open he tried to look around but he couldn't see much. Wherever he was, it was very dimly lit and the only windows were all boarded up. Oliver planted his feet under himself and groaned as he slowly got to his feet, everything was sore, especially his head. Oliver felt like he'd been hit by a truck, he pressed a hand to his forehead and was surprised to feel something wet. Oliver quickly brought his hand back down to find blood smeared over his palm, he wiped it on his pants and squinted around the room. As he looked at one of the walls Oliver could make out the shape of a door, he willed himself towards it as he took a few ragged breaths. When he reached the door Oliver grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it but had no luck. He groaned in frustration as he tried a few more times.

"It's no use," a voice called from the other side of the room. Oliver's eyes widened and he stood still as a statue, he thought he'd been alone. "There's no way out."

For a split second Oliver could have sworn he recognized the voice, "That sounds like…no that couldn't be right." Oliver slowly turned and peered at the pitch black corner of the room that the voice was emanating from. "Who are you?"

"Oh I think you know, Mr. Queen," the voice replied sarcastically.

That voice, it was ragged and labored, but Oliver could still hear a hint of familiarity. "Who are you?" Oliver repeated more firmly, he cautiously took a few steps forward. Some shuffling could be heard as the stranger rose to their feet, Oliver squinted as the stranger approached him and as they stepped out into the dim light the blinding rage that he had felt earlier returned. Standing before him, bruised bloody and bound in a straight jacket, was Lonnie Machin.

Without hesitating Oliver grabbed Machin around the neck and squeezed, "You monster!" Oliver forced the younger man up against a nearby wall and drove his fist into Lonnie's gut, "You tried to kill her!" Oliver delivered another blow, Lonnie cried out in pain but the cry soon turned into a chuckle and then a laugh. The more Oliver hit him the louder Lonnie laughed, "You think this is funny?"Lonnie ignored him and continued to cackle so loudly it began to hurt Oliver's ears.

"That's it, get it all out!" Lonnie exclaimed after a particularly hard punch to the face. "Take revenge for your precious Felicity!"

Oliver froze at the mention of her name, his fist only a few inches away from Machin's face. "Felicity." Oliver thought to himself as his fist unclenched and his arm dropped to his side.

"What are you waiting for? Come on end it Queen!" Lonnie shouted at him, Oliver ignored him and released his grip on the younger man. Lonnie slumped down onto the floor as Oliver turned and took a few steps away.

"Felicity," Oliver whispered, he looked around himself. What was he doing? This wasn't like Him at all. Oliver scrubbed his face with his hands as he thought, _"Oliver Queen doesn't do things like This, Oliver Queen doesn't go on insanely dangerous escapades. Oliver Queen doesn't take risks or go out of his comfort zone, Oliver Queen doesn't put himself out there for the world to see. Oliver Queen doesn't go blind with rage and beat people within an inch of their lives."_ Oliver muttered to himself as he paced back and forth. _"Oliver Queen isn't a hero."_

"Are we gonna get this over with or what?" Machin interrupted and looked at Oliver expectingly. "I'm getting bored."

Oliver threw him a confused look, "Why are you provoking me like that?" You want me to hurt you? You want me to…kill you?"

Lonnie chuckled and licked a bit of blood from his bottom lip, "Trust me, what ever you're gonna do, it's not even half as bad as what he's already done to me."

Oliver took in a deep breath and let it out, he looked Lonnie over and took the time to really access the young man's condition. Machin was covered in bruises, that was obvious, but under that there were scars from recent injuries. Some of them hadn't completely healed yet. There were a number of wounds all over his body that were still fresh, a few were still bleeding. Oliver looked down to Lonnie's legs, although the straight jacket covered his entire torso the young man's ripped and tattered pants revealed several burns on his lower body. Many looked like they had come from cigarettes while others seemed to be inflicted using other, more brutal methods. Oliver's gaze drifted upward and he grimaced when he was greeted by a large bloody bandage covering one of Lonnie's eyes, Oliver hadn't even noticed it just moments ago when he'd been flooded with rage.

"…What did they do to you?" Oliver asked cautiously.

" What didn't they do would be an easier question to answer," Lonnie sighed

"I thought you were The Count's right hand man or something. Why would he do this to you?"

"well incase you couldn't guess he doesn't really appreciate unwanted attention, his business depends on secrecy. The first time I attacked your girlfriend, after she so rudely terminated my employment, I threatened to use The count's men to exact my revenge."

"So I've been told," Oliver replied.

"Well let's just say the big man didn't like that very much."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, "But you weren't working with him at the time, not yet. Why did he even bring you on in the first place after what you did?"

"Because of my connections, I've been dealing since I was sixteen, five years. That's been more than enough time to gain plenty of friends in very high and very low places. Also I can cook a mean batch of Vertigo. With skills like mine The Count had no choice but to bring me on, but I was put on indefinite probation, one more slip up like that and I was done for good."

"You're attack on Felicity at the party, that was your big slip up wasn't it?" Lonnie nodded painfully. Oliver looked down at the ground, he almost felt a pang of pity for the younger man but it was quickly erased from his mind. No matter how dire his situation seemed this was the man who had tried to murder his Felicity in cold blood, and that was something that could never be forgiven. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because, my life is over," Lonnie chuckle sadly. "It doesn't matter anyway, so go ahead hero boy. End my life and take revenge for your beloved, I'd rather it be you than that bastard anyway. And for what it's worth, which I'm sure isn't much," Lonnie let out a long ragged breath, "I'm sorry." Lonnie dropped his head in defeat, Oliver was still furious, but as he looked into the young man's eyes he could have sworn he saw a hint of regret. Oliver rose to his feet and walked over to the cowering boy, he towered over Lonnie as he scrutinized the wannabe killer.

"Go ahead, get it over with," Lonnie urged as he looked up at Oliver.

Oliver couldn't lie to himself, there was a part of him, a small part, that wanted to take Machin up on his offer. Felicity could be six feet under right now because of this poor excuse for a human being, Oliver had never wanted to take a life before but he imagined that this was as close as he was ever going to come to it. Oliver clenched his fist as he stared down at the boy in silence, minutes passed by as they both remained frozen in place. As the moments passed Oliver's mind began to wonder to his bubbly, quirky, blonde beauty and he suddenly realized that this isn't what she would want. Felicity would never want a life to be taken in her name, she was far too pure for that, and even though he wanted to protect her and keep her from any further harm Oliver knew. "I can't."

"Come on!" Lonnie suddenly screamed as he fought back a coughing spell. "Just do it!"

"No."

"No…no?" Lonnie replied dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? I tried to kill your girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend," Oliver protested.

"Well whatever she is you care about her and I tried to kill her," Lonnie argued. "Don't you want revenge?"

"I'm not a killer," Oliver answered, "I never will be. You're going to face justice for what you've done and I'm going to help make sure that you never see the outside of a jail cell ever again, but we've got to get out of here first."

"You must be joking!" Lonnie cackled, "either that or your insane. You're one bump on the head short of going unconscious again, and I'm in a damn straight jacket. Explain to me how exactly you plan on getting both of us out of here."

"I haven't quite figured that out yet," Oliver sighed, "But I will."

"No Mr. Queen, you won't," an ominous voice echoed over the intercom. Oliver's eyes shot up to the corner of the room where a speaker was nestled.

Lonnie began to laugh hysterically, "Oh you've done it now, you can kiss that escape plan of yours goodbye.

Oliver's head turned to the door at the opposite side of the room, the doorknob began to jostle and a key entered the lock. Moments later the door swung open and a lanky man with a greasy smile walked in followed by two of the armed guards Oliver had encountered earlier. As they entered the lanky man, who Oliver assumed was The Count, nodded to his right and the room was flooded with light. Oliver covered his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness.

"Mr. Queen, so glad your finally awake I've been anxious to meet you. My name is-"

"The Count," Oliver finished. "You're the man trying to hurt everyone I care about."

The Count sneered, "Well in my defense you stuck your nose into my business where it doesn't belong, then again in your defense that only happened because this idiot screwed up," he looked down at Lonnie in disgust. "I suppose it's not your fault he tried to kill your girlfriend and you had to save her and that entire debacle put the SCPD back on my trail."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Oliver protested.

The Count waved him off. "My point is that this whole thing is technically not your fault," he explained as he paced back and forth. "My other point, is that I'm still gonna kill you!" The Count smiled and laughed maniacally. Oliver glared at him with all of the anger he could muster but even though he could feel that uncontrollable anger seething up inside of him, this time he tried to remain calm. How long that calmness would last was yet to be determined.

* * *

(Minutes earlier)

"How much longer!" Thea asked nervously as the van sped towards the juvenile detention center.

"Look," Beck pointed out of the windshield, the roof of a brick building could be seen over the top of a few trees.

"Were coming Ollie," Thea whispered, but she was jarred from her thoughts as the van slowed to a halt. "What's going on, why have we stopped?"

"Beck?" Felicity questioned.

"This is where you two wait," Beck instructed as he swung his door open and hopped out.

"Like hell!" Felicity exclaimed. "I'm not letting you go in there alone."

"Well I'm not letting you follow me so that's that."

"Beck," Felicity pleaded with equal parts frustration and admiration in her voice.

"Miss Felicity, I'm the only one here who's got any sort of combat training, you two are in no condition to take on armed mercenaries."

"I can take care of myself," Felicity argued.

"So can I!" Thea exclaimed.

Beck smiled at them both, "I don't doubt that, but Miss Felicity what kind of body guard would I be if I allowed my client-no, my friend, to run straight into the face of danger?" I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, either of you." Both women gave him sympathetic smiles. "You've done so much for me Ms. Felicity, let me return the favor. I'll have them both back safe and sound before you know it."

"Hold on Beck!" Felicity ordered as she opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small circular device. "Here take this," she leaned up and handed it to Thea who handed it to Beck. "It's a wireless body cam, pin it to your shirt. If we can't go with you then we'll at least be able to see what's going on. Beck hesitated before taking the camera and following instructions.

"Mr.-Mr. Beckman?" Thea spoke up.

"Yes Miss Queen?" Beck responded.

"Thank you for helping my brother, for helping our family."

Beck smiled, "Of course ma'am, and my friends call me Beck."

Thea chuckled, "Thank you Beck."

Beck nodded before unholstering his side arm and checking it over, once satisfied he looked up and gave them both one last reassuring wink before heading off into the darkness. Moments later Felicity's second bodyguard Kevin opened the driver's side door and hopped up into the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" Felicity questioned. "Go help him."

"Can't do that ma'am," Kevin answered. "He ordered me not to leave your side for any reason. You're the number one priority."

Felicity sighed as she stared off in the direction Beck had run. "When will this all be over?"

* * *

"If you're so eager to kill me why haven't you done it yet?" Oliver asked impatiently.

"All in due time Mr. Queen," The Count answered. First I have another small Matter to deal with," The Count looked down at Lonnie who was huddled up against the wall. "Mr. Machin," he rubbed his hands together as he approached and an evil smile stretched across his face. "I knew it was a risk when I took you in and made you a member of my little family. After all you did bring an enormous amount of heat down on me." The Count kneeled down and put a hand behind Lonnie's head, Lonnie shuttered as The Count turned his head so they were facing each other. "My men told me not to do it, that it was a mistake," he sighed, "but I believed in you, 'This boy has some real potential,'I told myself." The Count lowered his head in shame. "It seems my trust was misplaced. Once again you have betrayed me and threatened my life's work." The Count reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol but Lonnie stared him straight in the eyes seeming determined to show no fear. "Your stupidity is something I can no longer tolerate boy!" The count exclaimed as he pointed the gun at Lonnie's head.

"Wait, wait!" Oliver pleaded.

"Excuse me?" The Count looked up befuddled. "This urchin tried to kill your 'Not girlfriend' and you are begging for his life? I don't understand."

Oliver let out a tense breath, "Maybe I'm just not a big fan of death, look you're already going to kill me right?"

"Mhmm," The Count nodded and smiled

Oliver rose an eyebrow, "Well, that's going to bring on a lot of that unwanted attention you keep complaining about. The police will be on you even more than they already are."

The Count's smile twisted into a frown, "Get to the point!"

"Do you really want another body on your hands? That's gonna bring even more heat down on you. Do you really want to have to deal with that?"

The count remained silent, he seemed to be weighing his options. "You make a good point Mr. Queen."Oliver sighed in relief. "…But examples must be made!" The count pointed the gun back at Lonnie.

"No!..." A deafening bang rang out and a flash of light blinded Oliver, he reached for the gun, but it was too late. Oliver fell to his knees and cried out as the young boy's body went lifeless. Oliver's vision was spotty from the gunshot, his stomach was turning and his head was pounding, for a moment he thought he might be sick. After his parent's deaths Oliver had prayed that he would never have to see a dead body ever again. Seeing another person murdered right in front of him was traumatic to say the least, Oliver looked up at the man who had committed that murder and a fire grew in his eyes. Oliver clenched his fist and tried to throw a punch but he never got the chance, one of the counts guards ran his fist into Oliver's head nocking him to the ground.

"Sir we may have a problem," the other guard spoke up. Though Oliver was in a daze he still managed to see the guard pull out a tablet. "It appears there's been an in authorized usage of the bridge."

The count let out an evil laugh, "You must be joking!"

"Afraid not sir."

The Count sighed, "Am I going to have to shoot all of you before this is over?" The guard remained silent. "Well don't just stand there, go take care of it!" The guard hurried off. "Well well Mr Queen it seems you've run across a bit of luck, I may have some use for you yet. Don't go anywhere," The Count joked. "I'll be back soon." Before Oliver could protest he was met with another fist to the face and his vision went black.

Beck cautiously looked around as he emerged from the woods near the chainlink fence that surrounded the building. Beck had decided not to charge headfirst into the compound opting instead to sneak around the perimeter and hope he was lucky enough to find a hole in the defenses, he looked to his left and smiled when he saw his opportunity. It seemed a recent storm had blown down a tree and it had fallen onto the fence. The leaves and branches seemed fence enough that he could climb up and use them to get over the fence without being injured by barbed wire. In less than a minute Beck was over the fence and on the other side.

"Ok Ms. Felicity, I'm in," Beck whispered after tapping an ear piece in his left ear. "Eyes and ears working properly?"

"Hearing you loud and seeing you clear," Felicity answered back. "Well, seeing what's in front of you I mean, the cameras pinned to your shirt so we can't actually see you. The only way to do that would be for you to take a selfie, which I would not deem appropriate at the moment.."

"Shh, he knows what you mean smoaky!" Thea's voice came over the coms.

"Not really a good time to argue ladies," Beck urged.

"Sorry!" The women replied in unison.

"Ok beck I've got our eye in the sky following you, it looks like there are several guards circling the perimeter, I can guide you through them."

Beck cautiously proceeded forward as Felicity gave him instructions, he was lucky, the darkness combined with the rainfall provided him with excellent cover. There was one close encounter, beck had to nock one merc out and hide him behind a stack of crates, but shortly after he approached the brick wall of the building.

Hold on a sec, switching feed from thermal to night vision.

"Whoa!" Thea exclaimed. " Who'd you have to hack to get that?"

"No one," Felicity chuckled. "No hacking required when you've got your own satellite." Thea's jaw dropped. "I know, pretty cool right?" Felicity turned her attention back to the monitor. "Ok Beck I think there's a rear entrance that is currently unguarded, head in that direction."

"Understood," Beck replied and did as instructed when he reached the door he tried to turn the knob but had no luck. "There's an electric lock of some kind, any chance you can help out with that?" Beck heard what sounded like a hundred key strokes fire off.

"Ok try it now," Felicity spoke up. Beck reached for the knob but as he grabbed it sparks flew out from it and he received a brief but painful shock. "Son of a-"

"Sorry, sorry!" Felicity apologized frantically. "Are you ok?"

"Still in one piece," Beck replied. "Care to try again?"

Felicity did just that, "Ok should work this time, I'm really sorry-do your shoes have rubber souls? Maybe test it out with that this time, again I'm sorry," Felicity sighed. "Sorry."

"It's ok Felicity you're doing your best," Beck heard Thea encouraging Felicity over the coms.

"She's right ma'am," he agreed. "I'm fine and you did it. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Thanks Beck," Felicity replied.

"Ok," Beck stated as he slowly pushed the door open. "Here goes nothing."


	11. Here Goes Nothing-Part Two

**A/N- Hello everyone, I want to apologize. I know I said it wouldn't take me long to update and I didn't live up to that. I'm not really sure what happened, I've just been finding it very difficult to find the inspiration to finish up this particular portion of the story. I'm really hoping that the inspiration comes back because I really do enjoy it and want to see it through to the end. Plus I already have an entire chapter written up that I need to use, it just comes after all the action is resolved. I will do my best to have the next few chapter up as soon as they're completed. I hope you all understand and will continue to follow along with this piece. In the mean time I have started another Olicity story, it's titled "The Pros and Cons of a Cubicle" Inspiration for that one seems to be flowing more regularly so I'll be updating that one soon as well. I'd love to get some opinions on it if any of you would care to give it a read. Thanks to all of you!**

 **Here goes nothing part two**

* * *

Beck peered around the door frame as it crept open, he closed his eyes briefly hoping that no one had heard it. Once satisfied that he was still safe Beck cautiously entered and was met with a long hallway. Like the night sky outside, the hallway was very dark. The only light sources were a few bulbs flickering further down, Beck raised his weapon and kept his head on a swivel as he advanced. Both walls were lined with doors that Beck assumed lead to holding cells, many of them were closed but he came across a few open ones and examined the rooms on the other side. It was obvious the place had been abandoned, before The Count moved in anyway, beds were overturned and some of the sinks and toilets had been smashed. In one room the door had been blown off its hinges and laid flat on the floor, Beck wasn't sure what had happened here, but he was sure it couldn't have been good.

As he neared the end of the hallway beck wiped some dust from the small window in the door and looked through, he was confused, he hadn't encountered a single guard after entering the building. The room on the other side appeared to be the main entrance. Looking from left to right Beck could see staircases on either side of him and in the middle of the room was a large desk with a sign hanging over it. Beck couldn't read the sign from behind but he assumed it was the visitors registration or something of the sort, he drew in a deep breath as he scanned one last time for guards and let it out as he carefully pushed the door in front of him open.

Beck was met with a wave of dust and a horrible smell as he entered the room, he held his nose with one hand and scanned the room with his side arm using the other. "I'm betting that smell has something to do with the Vertigo," Beck thought to himself as he stepped behind the desk. There was still a computer sitting there and somehow it appeared to be untouched.

"Check to see if that still works," Felicity requested. "Maybe I can do something with it."

Beck hesitantly struck a few keys on the keyboard to see if he could turn it on but no luck. "Nothing, sorry Miss Felicity."

"That's ok." Felicity replied. "Keep moving forward, I'll guide you the best I can but this thermal vision only goes so far. This rain really isn't helping matters."

"Understood," Beck whispered. "This place almost seems deserted-wait, I can hear something. It sounds like their operation is running from upstairs, according to the sign gen pop is on the second floor. I'll head in that direction."

"Ok I think I've got something, yeah I'm getting some heat signatures, a lot of them. Let me just put a marker on you and, ok! I've got your back."

"Thank you ma'am, going silent."

Felicity prepared to direct Beck as he advanced. "Ok I've downloaded the building's floor plan, looks like the gen pop is the large room in the center and there are hallways on all four sides. Judging from these heat signatures it looks like several guards are patrolling in a pattern. When you get to the top of the stairs be careful, a guy is gonna walk down the hallway to your right. I can't tell what direction he's gonna take yet though."

Beck reached the top step, kneeled down and peered around the corner. Felicity was right, seconds later two masked men walked to where the hallways met. They stopped a moment and peered down the hall towards Beck who immediately retreated and hid in the stairwell. The guards silently but cautiously approached the top of the stairs and looked around. Beck prayed they wouldn't decide to come down and to his relief his prayer was answered. Once they were satisfied that all was well the men went back to their conversation and continued in the direction they'd been going.

"That was two guards ma'am," Beck whispered into his mic.

"Sorry, like I said with all this crappy weather Karen is not at her best."

"Karen?" Thea asked.

"My satellite, I named her after an actress who starred in my favorite show. Karen Gillian."

"I know her!" Thea exclaimed. "What show?"

"The only one that matters," Felicity replied and chuckled.

"No way!" Thea exclaimed. "You're a Doctor Who fan aren't you?"

"Absolutely!" Felicity chirped.

"That's so freakin cool! I knew there was a reason I liked you," the younger woman joked.

"Ladies!" Beck whispered harshly. "Sorry to interrupt your fangirling but now is not the time!"

"Oh crap sorry! Beck you're good, go!" Felicity instructed once the guards had passed. "Looks like the next rotation will be there shortly, I'll let you know when they get closer." Beck began checking rooms, more abandoned cells, the janitor's closet, he wasn't finding any sigh of Oliver or John.

Beck advanced down the hall and began checking rooms but continued to come up empty handed.

"Those guards are about to come around the corner, hide!" Felicity suddenly ordered.

Beck dove through an open door and hunkered down, he waited patiently as the guards passed. Once they had Beck leaned out and checked to see if the coast was clear, he waited for the guards to round the corner before proceeding. Beck continued down the hall until he was at the last room, he sighed when he found it to also be empt, he was beginning to fear the worst but Felicity suddenly spoke up.

"Beck, turn the corner and go about half way down that hall, there's a group of three heat signatures that aren't moving at all. That could be where they're holding Oliver and John!"

Beck hurried in that direction, he stopped a few doors down and slipped into one of the open rooms. Beck peered around the door frame to observe the guard that stood in front of the door.

From the van Felicity zoomed the camera in on the mercenary. "Man those guys are creepy."

"Look at that mask," Thea shuttered. "It's like a skull that's been melted." Felicity nodded in agreement as she stared at her screen.

"I can take him down," Beck stated.

"Hold on," Felicity interrupted. She zoomed in a bit more and noticed a laniard hanging around the man's neck. "There, that's gotta be a key or key card or something. After you nock him out take that and it'll probably open the door.

Beck acknowledged and slowly stepped out of the room towards the guard, the man suddenly turned his back to Beck, pulled his mask up and produced his cell phone from his pocket. Beck took advantage and quickly snuck up behind him. The guard didn't stand a chance, the moment Beck was close enough he put the other man in a choke hold and it was lights out.

"Yeah that's what you get for texting and guarding!" Felicity cried out over the coms. Beck could hear Thea bust out laughing and he smiled briefly before getting refocused. Beck reached down and quickly removed the card from around the guards neck, he looked up and sure enough there was another electronic lock. "Ok here we go," Beck whispered as he reached up and slid the card through the reader. The lock beeped a few times before the indicator light turned green and the deadbolt clicked. Beck took one more look around before quickly pushing the door open and dragging the unconscious guard inside, the sight he was greeted with next shook him to the bone.

* * *

"Oh my God!" Felicity gasped as she took in the scene on her monitor, her moment of joy at the site of Oliver was cut short by the scene that lay before her. Yes they had found Oliver, he was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room with his face buried in his hands, they were covered in blood. Oliver was cradling an unconscious person's head in his lap, or at least Felicity hoped they were unconscious. On top of all that, there was no John. After a moment Oliver looked up and scowled.

"It's ok!" Beck's hand shot into frame. "Miss Felicity sent me, I'm a friend. My name is Beck." Oliver's expression softened at the mention of Felicity's name but it quickly hardened again.

"Where is Felicity? Is she safe?"

"She's fine, your sister too."

"How did she find me? How did she know to send you here?"

"That's not important right now, I'm here to get you home safe." Becks attention returned to the motionless person Oliver had been looking after, "…Is he…" Beck asked gesturing to the body.

Oliver's face went blank as he looked back down, he nodded, "Yeah.."

"Who was he?" Felicity asked. Beck repeated the question to Oliver.

"He was… a bad person…but he didn't deserve this," Oliver answered.

Beck took a few steps more and knelt down next to Oliver, as he did he pulled out a flashlight and pointed it at the body. Felicity' hands shot up to cover her mouth when the light reached the face.

"Isn't tha-" Thea began to ask.

"Lonnie Machin!" Felicity cut her off. "He, tried to kill me." A single tear welled up in Felicity's eye.

Thea placed a hand on Felicity's shoulder, "It's ok Felicity I'm right here."

Felicity could feel her stomach turning, once again she was face to face with the man who had attempted to murder her in cold blood. It brought back all the fear she had felt in that moment and for second she thought she might be sick, instead she managed to keep her composure. Felicity took a deep breath and regained her focus, right now she had more important things to worry about. "Beck how's Oliver? Is he hurt?"

Beck was staring down at the lifeless body, This was the piece of trash that had somehow managed to elude all of the security measures he and Dig had set up that night. Machin had slipped through his grasp so easily, how couldn't Beck have know that guy at the door was just a distraction? How could he let this monster evade him and get an opportunity to put a bullet into his boss, and friend. He had failed her, Beck had failed Felicity.

"Beck," Felicity interrupted.

"Sorry ma'am," Beck adjusted his view. "He seems ok," Beck looked Oliver over, "Are you hurt?"

Thea's eyes were glued to the screen, she had gone far too long without knowing her brother's condition. Oliver had a black eye and she could pick out several more bruises. It was obvious he'd been beaten, but he seemed to be relatively ok otherwise.

"Nothing I can't survive."

"Felicity stared at Oliver's damaged face through the monitor, "Oh Oliver." Felicity felt a wave of guilt wash over her, he had done so much for her in just the short time they had known each other. Now look at him, bloodied and bruised, hurt and scarred both physically and emotionally. Felicity couldn't help but think, "Am I really worth all of this?" She tried to dismiss the thought, This wasn't a time to wallow in guilt and self doubt. Felicity tried instead to focus on the positive feelings Oliver brought out of her, the admiration, the security, the hope. Over these past couple of months Oliver had given Felicity a gift she hadn't even known she'd been lacking, he made her feel safe. Now it was Felicity's turn to do the same for him. "Beck get him out of their, bring him back to us."

"Understood," Beck rose to his feet. "Oliver, it's time to go. You have two very beautiful but very anxious women waiting for you outside, don't want to keep them waiting…Oliver… ?"

Oliver remained seated and stared down at the expressionless face of the boy laying in his lap. Felicity and Thea watched nervously as Beck urged him to move but Oliver made no effort to respond. "What is he doing?" Thea questioned. "Why is he not getting up?"

"I don't know," Felicity responded. The women watched on as Beck knelt back down and tried to get Oliver's attention. "Mr. Queen, what's the matter?"

"What about him?" Oliver asked not lifting his gaze.

"What about him?" Thea exclaimed. "He's a drug dealer and a killer! What about him Oliver?" Thea was baffled.

This time it was Felicity who offered a comforting hand, "shh, it's alright. Try to stay calm," she urged even though Oliver's words had also peaked her curiosity.

"I know he was a bad person. I haven't forgotten what he's done, I never will…but he didn't deserve to die, not like this. We can't just leave him here."

Beck cautiously reached out and placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, "Mr. Quee-Oliver, that's very admirable. However we really don't have the time or the skill to get ourselves out of here while lugging a dead body around."

Oliver looked up at Beck and frowned, "Do you know what it's like to watch someone get shot right in front of you? To watch them die, right in front of you?"

"Actually, yes I do," Beck sighed. I was a soldier, deployed alongside John Diggle in Afghanistan. I've seen my fair share of death. No matter the reasoning behind it, Taking a life can never truly be justified. I agree with you, nobody deserves to die, but Lonnie is already gone. We're still here, and if we're gonna get ourselves out of here and be around to help put the son of a bitch That killed him behind bars we can't have any dead weight dragging us down."

Oliver didn't answer, but nodded in understanding before carefully setting Lonnie's head down and rising to his feet. "Ok, tell me what to do."

"Alright, we've got Miss Felicity watching our backs. Hopefully the Smoak Tech satellite will be able to keep us aware of the enemy's location. If we play our cards right we just might be able to get out of here without any more confrontation."

"Felicity's here?" Oliver's eyes widened. "The reason I came here in the first place was to keep her away from the count!"

"Did you not here me earlier?"Beck sighed. "You know her Oliver, she's not one to leave a friend behind, especially not you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver was confused.

"Isn't it obvious, she cares about you. Miss Felicity really cares about you."Oliver's mouth opened but he couldn't find the words so Beck continued. "How would you feel if you found someone like that and they suddenly ran off to face certain death? What did you think was going to happen?"

"I-I don't know…you said she's watching us, can she see me right now?"

"Yes, Ms. Felicity gave me a camera so she could track our progress." Beck gestured to the small camera pinned to his shirt.

"Is there anyway for me to see her?" Oliver asked.

"No, but you can speak with her if you'd like." Beck pulled the earpiece out of his ear and handed it to Oliver. "Just make it fast, we've got to get moving." Beck also carefully removed the camera and placed it in Olivers hand.

Oliver took the earpiece and placed it in his ear, "Hello? Felicity?"

"Ollie Ollie Ollie oh my God Ollie!" Thea's voice screamed in his ear.

Oliver reeled from the noise, "Speedy, Speedy is that you?"

"Yes big brother I'm here! Are you ok? I mean I Know you're not ok but still, are you ok?"

"Thea calm down I'm fine." Oliver looked over at Beck who was standing guard. "You let my sister come here?"

Beck threw his hands up in surrender, "Don't look at me."

"Tilt the camera so we can see your face better!" Thea ordered.

"Uh, ok." Oliver tried to do as instructed but it was awkward without knowing what the camera was seeing. "There is that better?"

"Yes, I mean no! You don't look fine, oh my poor big brother!" Forgetting that he could be seen Oliver sighed and rolled his eyes. "Hey don't you get an attitude with me big man. I'm sorry if I care about whether or not you make it out of this alive!"

"I care about that too," another familiar voice echoed in the background.

"I swear when this is all over I'm gonna punch you so hard for scaring me like this!" Thea exclaimed.

"Speedy I'm sorry. I'm going to make it out of this just fine ok? I'm going to come back to you. I love you, now may I please speak to Felicity?"

"I love you too,"Thea answered as she fought back tears. "Ok here's your girlfriend," she let out a small giggle.

"Felicity?"

"Hi, sorry figured I should let your sister speak first."

"That was probably smart," Oliver chuckled. "How are you? I mean, are you ok?"

"Who me? Oh yeah I'm doing great, just stellar." Oliver could detect the hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? You're hurt, is it bad?"

"Like I said I'm fine, having the two of you in my ear helps a little." Although it hurt to do so Oliver put on a smile for the camera, a silence fell over the comslink.

"Oliver? Oliver can you hear m-"

"You shouldn't be here Felicity,"Olivers face suddenly got serious.

Felicity took in a deep breath and let it out, "You heard what Beck said didn't you?"

Oliver's eyes opened a bit wider, "…is it, is it true?"

Felicity stared at the face on her monitor, her eyes locked with Olivers and refused to let go. With out even trying Felicity's head began to nod up and down.

"He can't see you smoaky," Thea reminded and tapped Felicity's shoulder.

"Oh frak right, sorry." Felicity took another deep breath and mustered all her courage, it took her another moment but she finally found the words. "How about you get your crazy butt outa there and come find out."

A big grin stretched across Oliver's face. "Yes ma'am."

"Oliver we have to go , now." Beck called.

"Ok I have to go."

"Oliver wait!" Felicity pleaded.

"Yeah?"

"Will you make me the same promise you made Thea? Come back to me? I don't want to lose my best employee after all."

"I promise," Oliver replied without hesitation.

"Good, now go. I've got you covered."

At his request Oliver returned the earpiece and camera to beck. "Ok, let's do this."

"We have to be smart about this, you need a minute to collect yourself?"

"No I'm fine, let's go."

"Alright. Oliver before we move I need to ask you, is John here? Do you know where he's being held?"

"No, I'm sorry. I never got a chance to look for him but I did overhear a couple of The Counts men talking, if they're to be believed then I don't think John's here at all."

Beck nodded in understanding, he sighed before cautiously nudging the door open and looking outside, the coast was clear.

Back in the van both Thea and Felicity's eyes were glued to the monitors. The were both panicking inside but for the sake of the men they were looking after and their own both decided not to show it. "Ok you're safe for now Beck, go back the way you came,"Felicity instructed.

"Understood"

* * *

It seemed like an eternity passed while Beck and Oliver made their way back down stairs. Now that they'd established the safest route around the guards the return trip had gone quick and smoothly. All that was left now was to get down the rear hallway from the lobby and out the door Beck had used earlier to get in.

"You guys are almost home free, I still don't see any guards on that level. Looks like your clear to exit." Felicity zoomed out to get a better view.

"Oh hurry!" Thea pleaded as she watched over Felicity's shoulder.

"Alright were on our-wait I hear something, what's going on out there?"

"Beck what are you talking about we don't hear anything." Just as Felicity finished her sentence she heard the noise approaching from the distance. "Sirens…sirens? Oh frak!"

"Sirens, that means cops right? That's not a good thing?" Thea was confused.

"Don't you remember what John said in the video? If the count or his men found any signs of cops things would get violent. This is bad." Felicity explained.

"But Beck and Ollie are almost outside, they can make it easy can't they?"

"Let's hope so." Felicity turned back to her monitor and resumed typing. "Beck you guys need to go now, like right now. The SCPD is here."

"They couldn't have come at a worse time, how did they find us?"

"I don't know but The Count's mercs must have heard them too, the entire place is already mobilized. If you don't hurry your escape route's gonna get cut off."

"Understood."

Through the body cam, Felicity saw Beck gesture to Oliver and the two men hurried to the far end of the lobby. Beck lead him through the door and down the hall, both women were on the edge of their seats.

Thea reached out to Felicity and clasped her hand, "Come on Beck, come on Ollie!" both Thea and Felicity we're on the verge of tears, they strained to hear the coms over the approaching sirens. Oliver and Beck were approaching the door, they were almost there. Becks hand came into view and reached for the doorknob when suddenly the feed cut out of know where.

"Felicity wha-what happened?" Thea asked fearfully.

"I don't know, Beck? Beck can you hear me?" static was the only reply. "No, no no no no no no oh no! Come on not now!" Felicity's fingers flew at a million miles an hour as she made attempt after desperate attempt to reestablish communication. "Beck, Beck please can you hear me?" No answer. "Damnit!" Felicity slammed her hands down on the keyboard.

"Come on don't give up smoaky!" Thea pleaded. "What do you think happened, is the whether still messing with your satellite?"

"That, and the signal jammer that they must've activated now that they know they're about to be attacked! In one fowl swoop the SCPD has exposed us and possibly cost Oliver and Beck their lives. It's gonna be nearly impossible for them to make it out on their own let alone undetected!" Felicity looked out the vans back windows and scowled as a set of red and blue lights approached.

"That's it, someone's gettin socked in the face!" Thea exclaimed and moved to open the rear doors. Unfortunately for the officer on the other side, he beat Thea to the punch.

Beck tapped his earpiece as static murmured throughout his head. "Miss Felicity? Miss Felicity, can you hear me?"

"What happened?" Oliver asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think we're on our own now. Alright here we go, you ready?" Beck turned to Oliver and asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Beck applied some force to the doorknob and began to turn it's but when he looked out the window to see if the path was clear he froze.

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Run, now! A guard's coming right for us!" Both men turned and bolted down the hallway but as they neared the other end Beck could hear more guards approaching, they were trapped. "Hide!" Beck and Oliver split up, each dove into an empty room on opposite sides of the hall. Both men pressed themselves up against a wall and went silent, moments later the door leading out side was opened and hurried footsteps rushed down the hall. The door from the lobby to the hallway swung open seconds later.

"What's going on out there?" a modified voice exclaimed.

"It's the cops obviously!" Another voice answered. The multiple sets of footsteps converged in the middle of the hall, Oliver and Beck were just a few doors down from them.

"How did the frikin SCPD find us? They ain't been able to get nothin on us before?"

 _"Another distinct voice, that makes three assailants."_ Beck began to formulate a plan, he took a deep breath and cautiously peered around the door frame, across the hall Oliver did the same. The two men looked at each other, both minds working to try and find a way out of their current predicament. The Count's men spoke up again interrupting their thoughts.

"How far out are they?"

"Well judging by all the sirens I'd say just a few minutes."

"Hey don't get funny with me! Alright, you're with me. We're going to go out and help secure the perimeter, you go back upstairs and make sure the boss is protected. Tell those guys to get ready for a fight!"

"Got it!"

Oliver and Beck ducked back into their hiding spots as two of the mercenaries ran past them out the exit. The third man, assigned to stay inside, turned and headed the other way. Beck waited to hear the door open and shut, but it never did. Beck cautiously poked his head out just enough to see what was going on, the mercenary had stopped at the end of the hall and lifted his mask exposing his face. Upon close inspection, Beck could see that there was a picture in the mercenary's hands, he was looking down at it and whispering something. Beck looked over to Oliver and nodded towards the merc, Oliver took the hint and glanced at the gunman before turning back to Beck. When there eyes connected Beck nodded to Oliver and silently mouthed, "I can take him."

Oliver's eyes widened and he looked the merc over once more. The man was distracted for now but his rifle hung from his side just inches away from his hands. If Beck made a move the gunman could easily access his weapon and mow him down, It was too risky. Oliver turned back to Beck and shook his head.

"We have to do something, " Beck replied silently.

Oliver motioned to Beck to stay still, the merc would probably finish whatever good luck ritual he was doing and walk away. Oliver wanted to wait it out. Beck had other ideas though, he carefully pulled the slide on his sidearm back and prepared to fire. Beck took a deep breath and rounded the corner to take aim but before he could a deafening screech rang in his ear, he recoiled in pain and tried to retreat back into his hiding spot but as he did he lost his balance and toppled onto the ground. Becks head ended up smacking against a cabinet that he hadn't even realized was there and making a loud thud. Moments later he heard the guard call out.

"Hey, Jason is that you?...Jason?"

Beck cursed and looked over to Oliver, they knew they'd been caught. Beck quickly scanned Oliver's room and noticed that the boards covering one of the windows looked old and rotten, he got Oliver's attention and nodded towards them. "Go, " Beck whispered.

Oliver turned and looked in that direction, he realized what Beck was suggesting. "No," Oliver turned back to Beck and mouthed. Beck pointed to the window and repeated his command but still, Oliver refused.

Beck furrowed his eyebrows and scowled at Oliver, the mercenary was fast approaching and he had to think quickly. Beck shook his head, there was no time to think, he had to act now. Without a hint of hesitation he threw his arm around the door frame and blind fired a few rounds down the hallway.

"Ah God!" the merc immediately cried out.

Beck ceased his fire and waited to hear the body drop but the sound never came, after a moment he cautiously poked his head out and found the hallway to be empty. Oliver looked over and their eyes met. "Can you see him?" Beck asked. Oliver shook his head no. Beck slowly got to his feet and began to take a step out into the hall but just as he did the barrel of a rifle poked out of a room just a few doors down. Beck dove back into his room as the sound of gunfire filled the confined space. Beck and Oliver both covered their ears as a cacophony of bangs and snaps assaulted their eardrums, it seemed like an eternity before it finally stopped and beck could pick up the sounds of the weapon being reloaded. Beck seized the opportunity and dashed across the hall to Olivers side firing off a few shots for good measure. "Alright I'm here, can we go now?"

Oliver nodded and headed for the window while Beck stood guard at the door. "You're welcome by the way, for not leaving you behind," Oliver grunted as he wrapped his fingers around the wood and pulled.

"Yeah yeah just shut up and pull, " Beck replied. Moments later another round of gun fire lit up the hall. Beck fired off a few more rounds before switching magazines. "Come on I've only got a couple clips left!"

Oliver pulled with all his might and the nails finally started to pull out of the wall.

"They're down there, in that room!" The downed guard cried out. Another guard had entered the hall now and was headed straight for them.

"There's two of them now, I don't think we're gonna make it!" Beck called to Oliver as he emptied his second clip.

Oliver pulled with all his might and cried out as splinters of wood tore into his skin. "Got it, come on!"

"Can't gotta cover you."

"What are you talking about! I told you I'm not leaving you!"

"Go, Oliver, if you don't he'll shoot us both. I'll keep him suppressed while you climb out and be right behind you ok? Now go!"

Oliver reluctantly complied and began to climb out the window, as he did beck again changed mags and fired off a few more rounds. Moments later Oliver's feet hit the ground outside, "Ok I'm out come on!"

Beck fired off another round and turned to head for the window but as he did a small cylindrical object bounced into the room. "Flash bang, run-"Beck yelled but it was too late, the device exploded sent a blinding light in all directions. Oliver ducked down behind the window and closed his eyes, his ears were ringing and every time he tried to open his eyes a searing pain shot through his head. After several moments of ringing Olivers hearing finally began to recover, he heard a few more gun shots and what sounded like Beck crying out in pain. Oliver again tried to open his eyes not his vision was spotty and blurry, he couldn't distinguish a thing. Suddenly everything went silent, Oliver sat there alone in the day and tried to regain his senses.

Once he was able to stand Oliver thought about going back in for Beck but he managed to make out the voice of one of the mercs talking to the other, he couldn't quite make out what they were saying but foot steps soon followed and moved towards him. Oliver didn't want to leave Beck but he knew he wouldn't be any help to anyone if he was dead. Oliver let out a sigh and darted off around the building. _"Beck, if by some miracle you're still alive don't worry. I'm coming for you."_

* * *

 **A/N- Ok everyone there we are. Like I said before we'll be getting into some lighter stuff soon so I hope you'll all stick around for that. Also if you're still enjoying this story think about checking out my new story "The Pros and Cons of a Cubicle". As always thanks for the wonderful support!**


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